After three straight losses and a tie, the Bulldogs (5-4-1, 0-1-1) shut out Quinnipiac on Wednesday, with midfielder Laurel Karnes ’06 scoring the first two of three goals.

Two assists by captain Lee Anne Jasper ’04 and a final goal by forward Mimi Macauley ’07 contributed to the 3-0 victory at Yale’s Soccer-Lacrosse Stadium, the 5th shutout of the season.

A corner kick by Jasper to Karnes in the 17th minute led to the 1st goal, and the pair made a nearly identical play in the 62nd minute with the same result. With an assist by forward Jamie Ortega ’06, Macauley scored the 3rd goal from point-blank range at 67:14.

“It was exciting for both Lee Anne [Jasper] and Laurel [Karnes],” goalie Sarah Walker ’05 said. “They’ve been working really hard in practice and it definitely paid off.”

The Bobcats were outshot in the game by Yale 10-1, with Quinnipiac’s Heather Zaccone and Sarah Lusto combining to make four saves. Karnes leads the Bulldogs in goals, five, and points, 12, this season.

“Our practices have been focusing on just getting the ball in the back of the net,” Macauley said. “There was a lot of pressure to make that first goal, so when Lee Anne scored, it took that pressure off.”

Yale also performed very well defensively. Walker and rookie goalkeeper Chloe Beizer ’07 combined to shut out the Bobcats. It was Beizer’s second time on the field in a game situation.

“This was a great game for many players because practically everyone got off the bench,” Beizer said. “It was due time for us to break back onto the winning side.”

The win bodes well for Yale, who will face off against Dartmouth (4-5-1, 2-0-1) on Saturday night at 7 p.m. at Yale’s Soccer-Lacrosse Stadium. With a recent win against Princeton and a tie with Boston University, the Big Green poses a sizable challenge to the Bulldogs, though Eli players remain optimistic. A win against Dartmouth, which has a 2-0 record in the Ivy League, will put Yale back in the running for the title.

“Dartmouth is very strong,” Walker said. “Beating them will involve lots of team effort. The times we have played them the score has been close, so it will definitely be an exciting game.”

The win over Quinnipiac has energized the Bulldogs. The Elis look to perform well against Dartmouth.

“[Wednesday] was one of our better games of the season,” Yale head coach Rudy Meredith said in a press release. “We did well defensively, and Laurel stepped up and scored two big goals. This was a good tune up for our very important game against Dartmouth on Saturday.”

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