Hoping to rebound from a 5-1 loss to the University of New Hampshire Sept. 25, the field hockey team traveled to Ithaca, N.Y. expecting a reversal in fortune. But a late-game charge was not enough for the field hockey team Saturday against Cornell, as the Bulldogs fell to the Big Red 2-1.
“We stepped out on that field and waited until the last five minutes of the game to decide that we wanted to win,” forward Stephanie Dolmat-Connell ’04 said. “We need more than five minutes per game of all-out intensity.”
With the loss to the Big Red, the Bulldogs (2-4, 0-3 Ivy) remain winless in the Ivy League while the Big Red (5-2, 0-2 Ivy) extended their winning streak to three games.
The action started slowly on Saturday. After 20 minutes without any significant offensive chances for either squad, the Cornell attack produced an early penalty corner that Bulldogs goalie Krissy Nesburg ’04 rejected. Big Red midfielder Lindsay Grace grabbed Nesburg’s rebound and found back Kimmy Gardner, who rifled the ball past Nesburg to put Cornell ahead 1-0.
Grace added another tally to the Big Red’s total in the second half for a 2-0 lead.
Yale avoided being shut out for the third time this season by scoring two and a half minutes later on a corner. Sweeper Meredith Hudson ’05 aimed straight at the net, only to have Big Red goalkeeper Kaitlin Tierney deny the shot. In the midst of heavy traffic, Dolmat-Connell collected the rebound near Tierney’s pad, moved to the right and scored. Hudson received credit for the assist.
Although Yale applied greater pressure following the tally, it was too late to do any further damage. In the end, the Bulldog offense had another lackluster outing as Cornell outshot the Bulldogs 16-9 and held the Elis to two penalty corners.
“We’re not putting our corner team on the line enough,” Dolmat-Connell said. “We need to do a better job of creating fouls on the other team.”
Just a third of the way into their schedule, an array of problems ranging from defensive miscommunication to offensive hesitation has plagued the Bulldogs. The Eli women will try to end their two-game losing streak this Wednesday at 7 p.m. when they host the University of Connecticut.
“At this point, it’s not about skills,” Dolmat-Connell said. “It’s about desire.”