The field hockey team’s final tune-up before the Ivy League season kicks into gear exposed some offensive weaknesses.
Yale fell to the New Hampshire Wildcats (3-4) 5-3 on Friday and to nationally ranked No. 12 Boston University (4-2) on Sunday 1-0.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs (1-4) traveled to Boston to face the Terriers on their home field. Yale started the match on a rough note; the Terriers’ Adrienne Scibilia scored the sole point of the day in the first two minutes with a dribbler. Celeste Hubbard recorded the assist.
Then, the Bulldog defense made some crucial adjustments and shut its opponent for the rest of the game.
But Yale was shut down, too.
Captain Fran Gardner ’04 said Yale’s defense was the best on Sunday that it has been all season.
“Our defense was excellent against Boston,” Gardner said. “We were able to stop some extremely fast offensive attacks, and to do so against a big time scholarship school is impressive.”
Standouts on defense included veteran goalie Krissy Nesburg ’04, who racked 10 saves for the Bulldogs off 15 Boston shots. Midfielder Sarah Driscoll ’05, midfielder Jana Halfon ’04 and sweeper Meredith Hudson ’05 also contributed to the stalwart defense.
Despite their defensive success, the Eli offense did not show against Boston.
“Unfortunately, we weren’t able to convert our defense into the offense,” Gardner said. “We had some good attack corners, but we just could not make anything out of them.”
Last week’s Rookie of the Week Trish Bissett ’07 said the losses were disappointing for the team, but they were not the end of the world.
“We seemed to lack something on offense against BU,” Bissett said. “But we played well against New Hampshire, especially in the first half. We just could not hold on to the end.”
In their contest against New Hampshire in Durham, New Hampshire, Yale scored two goals quickly. Bissett opened with the first goal and was followed in the next few minutes with a goal from Jana Halfon ’04.
Then, the Wildcats countered with two goals of their own. Gardner gained back the lead with :55 remaining in the half with a 12 foot goal.
The second half was fruitless for the Bulldogs; they were unable to score again. Yale allowed the Wildcats three consecutive goals and were unable to recover.
Despite her team’s double losses this weekend, Yale head coach Ainslee Lamb said she was positive about their position.
“We once again proved we can play with the top programs in the country,” Lamb said. “The next step is not just playing with those programs: it’s beating them. It’s just a matter of working hard to take that step.”
The Bulldogs will get their chance Sept. 27 when they host Cornell at Yale’s Johnson Field.