Playing in a pair of games over Halloween weekend, the Yale field hockey team suffered losses in both matches, falling in an Ivy League contest at Columbia and dropping its sixth one-goal defeat against Lafayette.
A single goal by midfielder Katerina Toffoloni ’19 was not enough for the Elis (2–14, 0–6 Ivy) in their 3–1 loss to Columbia (9–7, 3–3) on Saturday, and despite improved defense the next day in Pennsylvania, the Leopards (9–9, 3–3 Patriot) shut out the Bulldogs for a 1–0 victory.
“We built on what we’ve been working on all season, had two tough losses, but both were good fights that we are proud of,” forward Alyssa Weiss ’17 said.
The losses over the weekend extended Yale’s losing streak to 12 games as it heads into its season finale against Brown next Saturday.
Although Columbia drew first blood on Saturday after a corner shot from back Maeve Doherty made it past Yale goalkeeper Emilie Katz ’17, Yale evened the score heading into the second half. Toffoloni created a lane for herself and scored unassisted 25 minutes into the contest. The goal came on the freshman’s only shot on goal for the entire game.
Despite the tied score at halftime, Columbia was able to take control of the game in the second half. Midfielder Whitney Hartstone scored midway through the half, and approximately three minutes later the Lions struck again as midfielder Christina Freibott scored unassisted.
Katz stopped nine of the 12 shots taken by Columbia in the 70-minute contest, while the Bulldogs managed just five shots on goal. Katz’s nine saves maintained her standing as second in all of Division I with 10.5 saves per game.
Midfielder Lily Smith ’18 managed to get two shots on goal for the Elis. Yale also committed 36 fouls in the game, 10 more than the Lions’ total of 26.
The Elis did not have much time to focus on the loss, though, as the team was back in action the very next day against non-conference opponent Lafayette.
“Our game plan against Lafayette was to do whatever it takes to get a win,” forward Carol Middough ’18 said. “We played cohesively and fought until the end but unfortunately we did not get the result we were looking for.”
Scoring was limited in the contest, as neither team reached the back of the net in the first half. The only goal scored in the game came from Lafayette forward Rosie Shanks, who scored unassisted five minutes into the second half. Shanks scored while the ball was in midair off a rebound near the Bulldog goal.
Meanwhile, the Yale attack was quieted by a stellar defensive performance from the Leopards. All three shots on goal for the Elis came from the stick of Middough, though the Oceanport, New Jersey native was never able to connect.
Following the weekend’s results, the Bulldogs’ record stands at 2–14 on the season.
The Bulldogs will play their last regular season game Saturday against Brown. Although Yale is winless thus far in the Ivy League, Brown has not fared much better. The Bears are ranked seventh in the Ivy League standings, with their only win coming against Dartmouth.
“The Brown game this upcoming weekend is very important to us considering that we are still looking for our first Ivy League win,” Middough said. “Ending the season on a high note would mean a lot for us. We’ve put in a lot of work this season and have grown as a team in many different ways, but we just don’t have the results on paper to show for it.”
The game will be Yale Senior Day, with the ceremony taking place before the game beings at 1 p.m.