Yale field hockey is heading into this weekend confident that it can win the last three games of the season. But Bulldog confidence has not always resulted in a win.

This weekend, in its last two home games, Yale (5-9, 1-4 Ivy) hosts Columbia (10-4, 1-4) on Saturday and Quinniapiac (5-11) on Sunday.

The Elis have proven they have the ability to win these two games. They have hung with tough teams such as the University of Connecticut, Lock Haven and the University of North Carolina. But they have also lost their intensity and fallen to teams such as Cornell and Penn, that head coach Pam Stuper said she felt confident they could beat.

But the Elis are coming off their first shutout of the season — a dominant 3-0 win against Fairfield last Sunday — and if they can keep up their high level of play, two wins this weekend will be within their grasp. When Yale and Columbia have played the same opponents, their records match, with the exception of their contests against Dartmouth. The Lions fell to Dartmouth but the Elis were able to get a 3-2 victory in overtime. This is also the case with Quinnipiac, with the exception of the games against Hofstra, which was an Eli win but a Bobcat loss.

The top scorers for Columbia and Quinnipiac lead their teams with six and eight goals, respectively. Forward Ashley McCauley ’10 leads the Elis with 11.

Yale has won three of their past four games. If the Bulldogs can keep their momentum, playing cohesively and with a strong attack, they could end the season with a four-game streak.