Courtesy of Yale Athletics

The Yale Field Hockey team is off to its best start to a season since 1998.

The Bulldogs (6–2, 1–1 Ivy) edged past the University of Pennsylvania (1–7, 0–2 Ivy) on Friday at Johnson Field in a thrilling overtime game. On Sunday, the Bulldogs took down Quinnipiac University (2–8, 0–2 Big East). With these two victories, Yale’s overall record of 6–2 is the team’s best start since 1998.

“This season, we’re on a mission to rewrite the history books and take down the Ivy teams that beat us last year,” Hettie Whittington ’27 wrote to the News. “Penn was the first—now we have five more regular season games to set things right.” 

On Friday, the Quakers struck first, with a goal sending them up 0–1 just before the 15 minute mark. Poppy Beales ’26 hit back at the 26 minute mark, tying the game 1–1. Beales received a long pass from Captain Keely Comizio ’25, before firing a shot past the Penn goalkeeper.

With six minutes left in regulation, Colette Staadecker ’25 had a critical save, deflecting a Penn penalty corner, and the game went into extra time.

Just over five minutes into overtime, Beales caught a pass from Chiara Picciafuoco ’28 in stride and backhanded the ball straight past the Quaker’s goalkeeper, winning the game for the Bulldogs 2–1.

Beales now has five career game-winning goals, all in the last 13 games. 

“I try to keep my mentality the same for every game,” Beales wrote to the News. “But I think for conference games there’s always more of a competitiveness to win so that helps me do my part on the pitch and hopefully score!”

This is the fifth time in seven games the Elis have held an opponent to one or no goals, highlighting their strong defense. Yale held Penn scoreless the final 51:20 of the game.

Whittington wrote to the News on the team’s mindset for the remainder of the regular season as they prepare to take on #11 Harvard on Oct. 4.

“Every game in the Ivy League will be a battle; nothing is guaranteed. As a team, we talk a lot about how we can control the game’s momentum and stay consistent for the full 60 minutes. On Friday, we didn’t play our best, but we still found a way to win,” she wrote. “The next step for us is to deliver our best performance across all four quarters, and I believe if we do that, we have a real shot at upsetting #11 Harvard.”

Following their match against Penn, the team only had one day to rest before turning to face Quinnipiac on Sunday, Sept. 29. Head Coach Melissa Gonzalez wanted to ensure that her team made the most of their off day, prioritizing “recovery and growth.”

“Regardless of outcomes, we stick to our processes, which include reviewing film, participating in active release sessions and performing targeted exercises on pitch,” Gonzalez wrote. “We’ve found that this structure has helped us maintain our performance while preparing effectively for our matches.”

The next day, the Bobcats traveled down to New Haven. The Bobcats have been unsuccessful in their matchup against the Bulldogs three years in a row, having not won a game since 2021.

The first period put both team’s defenses on display. Although the amount of shots taken by Yale significantly outnumbered their opponent’s, neither team could close in on the goal. Then, Lily Ramsey ’25, weaving through defenders, passed to newcomer Victoria Collee ’28, who drove the ball home. Going into the half, the Bulldogs held a tight lead, 1–0.

The third period showcased the Bulldogs’ offensive prowess. After being granted a penalty stroke, Whittington secured a 2–0 lead for Yale when her shot escaped the reach of the Bobcat goalie. Not long after, another first-year, Picciafuoco, got her opportunity to extend the Yale lead with her second goal of the season. Finally, to cap off the roar of Bulldogs capitalizing on offensive momentum, a turnover and drive down the field by Beales led to a 4–0 lead when she passed to teammate Lauren Venter ’26, whose shot passed by the goalie much too fast to save. 

Although the Bobcats would rally the troops and score twice before the game ended, it could not offset the powerhouse that was the third period. 

Comizio wrote to the News that the key to a high-scoring period is trusting that success will come and relying on each other.

“We stayed consistent with our play and never got down,” she wrote. “We knew the goals would come eventually, so we just kept pushing. We focused on encouraging each other and maintaining our effort.”

After the weekend, the Ivy League named Beales as Offensive Player of the Week. With her two goals against Penn and her assist against Quinnipiac, she now has 12 points on the season, placing her second overall in the Ivy League.