Despite being only halfway through its season, the field hockey team has already won more games than it did all of last year. While this newfound success is welcome, the Bulldogs still have problems to deal with.
After outplaying visiting Dartmouth — who beat the Bulldogs 4-2 last year — for most of the first half of Saturday’s contest, Yale continued its disturbing trend of faltering dramatically in the second halves of games.
Yale (4-5, 0-3 Ivy) lost to Dartmouth (6-3, 1-2) in overtime 3-2, giving up a 1-0 halftime lead. The Big Green scored on two penalty strokes to clinch the win.
Captain Caroline Thompson ’02 scored both Yale goals on penalty corners. She was assisted by teammates Jana Halfon ’04 and Sarah Driscoll ’05 on both goals, the first of which she notched at 15:41 in the first half.
With the Bulldogs up 1-0 at the end of the half, Dartmouth responded with goals by Lauren Welsh at 19:22 and Rebekka Stucker at 17:44. Dartmouth’s Lisa Thomas assisted on both goals.
After the two Big Green goals, Yale was down but certainly not out. Thompson and company struck back to even the game with a second penalty corner at 10:59.
Yale head coach Ainslee Lamb said she was happy with Thompson’s play.
“She has an unbelievable desire to win,” Lamb said.
Both Thompson and Lamb credited goalie Krissy Nesburg ’04 as well as the team’s ability to convert on its penalty corners for keeping the Bulldogs in the game despite being outshot by Dartmouth 24-12.
Lamb said that Nesburg, who had eleven saves on the game, is a national caliber goalie, and Thompson agreed.
“She always has a good game,” Thompson said. “She is someone who we can always count on.”
Driscoll, who is the stick stop on the corner team — or the “Aces”, as they call themselves — attributed the trio’s success to their intense daily corner practices.
Thompson — who rolled her ankle during the Bulldogs’ loss to Holy Cross and has been hampered by the injury ever since — said that she was encouraged by her performance.
“I was happy with the way I played, but I didn’t make my [penalty] stroke which was disappointing,” she said.
Yale was unable to make a single penalty stroke, a discouraging fact considering the team’s second-half play this season.
“One of my concerns is our second-half performance,” said Lamb, “That is something we need to work on.”
Thompson echoed Lamb, saying that despite the team’s consistent ability to score goals, its second half play needs improvement.
“We are trying to work that out,” she said.
Despite, the loss, both Lamb and her players seemed positive, looking towards Wednesday, when they will host Quinnipiac.
“We have not lost any confidence,” Lamb said. “I am not looking beyond Wednesday. We are gunning for Quinnipiac.”
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