The field hockey team was less than eight minutes away from a weekend sweep, but a late surge from No. 16 Albany Great Danes prevented the Bulldogs from moving to .500.
The Elis (1–3) won 5–3 at Hofstra (3–4) on Saturday before falling 4–3 in overtime at Albany (4–2) on Sunday. Five different Bulldogs hit the net at Hofstra to give the Bulldogs their first win of the season. On Sunday, despite leading 3–1 with just over 12 minutes to play, the Bulldogs could not hold on as Albany’s Corrine McConville scored the tying goal with less than two minutes remaining.
After losses to Stanford and Quinnipiac a week ago, the Elis came into the weekend still looking for their first win of the season. Against Hofstra, Yale got off to a fast start, scoring the game’s first four goals. Forward Mia Rosati ’12 tallied four minutes into the game while midfielder Dinah Landshut ’12 deflected one in at the 29-minute mark.
“I liked our start,” Yale head coach Pam Stuper said in a press release. “I thought we got out there and played a nice passing game. We were tenacious and really aggressive, and that was the reason for that first goal.”
The Bulldogs came out firing after halftime as midfielder Georgia Holland ’14 scored one minute into the second to put the Bulldogs up 3–0. An Erin Carter ’12 goal was countered by two from Hofstra, but forward Erica Borgo ’14 sealed the Elis win with a goal in the 55th minute.
“I think the win proved that we can win,” Carter said. “The first weekend was pretty disappointing. We came into this weekend thinking that we need to prove ourselves.”
Goalkeeper Emily Cain ’14 stopped 10 Hofstra shots en route to the win.
Sunday, the Bulldogs took on ranked Albany, looking to move to .500 for the first time this season. Carter struck first with a straight shot for a goal in the 10th minute. McConville evened things up 16-and-a -half minutes in, and the score at the half was 1–1.
But the Bulldogs came out firing in the second half as Landshut scored less than five minutes into the new period. Carter extended the lead on a penalty stroke with less than 20 minutes remaining. However, Cain and the Bulldogs defense could not prevent the Great Danes from roaring back into contention. Albany midfielder Daphne Voormolen closed the gap six minutes after Carter’s goal, and McConville tied the game at three with 1:43 left to play.
“I think it was a combination of getting comfortable with having the lead,” Carter said of allowing Albany back into the game. “Maybe that made us let up. Once they scored, our attitudes got a bit low.”
Six minutes and 27 seconds into overtime, Albany’s Christina Patrick bested Cain to seal the 4–3 comeback win. Cain walked away with 11 saves on 15 chances.
Next weekend, the Bulldogs host Harvard Saturday at 1:00 p.m. before a Sunday home matchup with Sacred Heart at noon.