Yale Athletics

Yale’s field hockey team has been preparing for the start of its season, which opens Friday at home on Johnson Field with a game against Long Island University.

The Bulldogs began their preseason preparations on Aug. 17 with much to build on after a strong season last year, in which they dramatically improved their statistics in both goals scored and goals allowed.

“We have had a longer preseason than last year which has allowed us more time to gel as a team and get to know our freshmen,” Poppy Beales ’26 wrote to the News.

Core coaching staff and key players will return this fall along with seven first years. Head coach Melissa Gonzalez and assistant coach Kerry Kiddoo are entering their fourth season leading the Bulldogs.

Both the 2023 and 2024 seasons ended with the Elis falling short of the Ivy League tournament. This season, they are looking to reach that goal.

“Each season feels like a fresh start in the Ivy League competition,” Victoria Collee ’28 told the News. “We all start at zero again. This gives us the chance to reset while we build on what we have learned from previous years.”

Yale’s forward group features seven players, including two seniors, one junior, three sophomores and one first year. Senior captain Beales leads the attack after earning first team All-Ivy and All-Region honors for the second time in 2024. Beales finished last season with six goals and five career game-winners.

Fellow senior Lauren Venter ’26 matched Beales’ goal total and appeared in all 16 games last year. Last season, Venter became a major asset for the Bulldog’s attack and takes that momentum with her this year.

The team saw a new face making a major impact last season with Chiara Picciafuoco ’28 earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year and second team All-American honors. Picciafuoco finished second on the team in points.

Sophomores Ymre Massée ’28 and Gigi Caldero ’28 also bring versatility and scoring potential, while junior Tabs Collier ’27 and first-year standout Ella Ou ’29, a five-time Nexus Championship selection, round out the group.

In the midfield, Yale returns five players, including junior Emma Ramsey ’27, who has earned All-Ivy honors each season and recently competed at the Nexus Championship. Sophomores Kaitlyn Chang ’28 and Collee both played key roles last year. 

Collee notched four goals and three assists as a consistent starter last year, while Chang appeared in 14 games and participated in the U-21 National Team Selection Camp this summer. Collee also earned second team National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Mideast Region and second team All-Ivy League recognition.

First years Carys Donahoe ’29 and Emma Mueller ’29 add depth and promise, both bringing years of Nexus experience and top national MAX Field Hockey rankings.

Defensively, the Bulldogs return six backs, led by junior Hettie Whittington ’27, last season’s team Player of the Year and a first team All-Ivy and All-Mideast Region selection. Whittington was also the teams highest scorer putting up 17 points.

In goal, Fev Barinova ’28 returns for her second year, with experience training with Lithuania’s under-21 national team. Yale has added two first years to the position: Amelie Schwarzkopf ’29, who played in Germany’s top league and for the under-18 national team, and Maddie Shepherd ’29, a member of Scotland’s under-18 squad.

“We’re in a good spot ahead of our first games. We beat University of Massachusetts-Amherst in our spring scrimmage while they were ranked fourth nationally, and we have good momentum from our scrimmage win this fall,” Venter told the News. “We are just focused on achieving our goals on our merit, rather than hoping the cards fall our way in the results of the other Ivy League games.”

The Bulldogs’ 16-game regular season begins this weekend, with two games at home. The seven conference games begin at Brown on Sept. 20, and the Elis will play nine non-conference games.