The women’s soccer team faced two Big East teams over the weekend but despite playing well, fell short each time. On Tuesday night, however, the Bulldogs finally got the result they felt they had earned.
Yale rebounded at home and defeated Quinnipiac 2–0 in a game that saw the Elis (2–2–2) settle down midway through the half and outshoot the Bobcats 15–6. Freshmen forwards Melissa Gavin ’15 and Frannie Coxe ’15 both scored to lead their team to victory.
“It felt really good,” midfielder Enma Mullo ’12 said. “It finally felt like luck went our way. Tonight we did everything we did on Friday and Sunday, but we finished our chances.”
The first 13 minutes of the game was played mostly in the midfield, as neither side was able to produce many scoring opportunities early on.
The Bobcats (0–3–1) threatened in the 25th minute when Furtuna Velaj crossed the ball to an open Crystal Burns, whose shot was heading towards the back of the net, but defender Torrey Leroy ’13 was able to clear the ball off the line and save a goal.
“Our defense is like a brick wall,” Coxe said. “They don’t really let anything through.”
The Elis took a 1–0 lead 10 minutes later when Mullo found Gavin inside the box, allowing her to fire a shot into the upper right corner of the net for her second goal of the season.
Yale pressured the Bobcats for the remainder of the first half and almost extended its lead in the 43rd minute. Forward Kristen Forster ’13 connected with a streaking Gavin, who fired a shot from inside the box, but Quinnipiac goalkeeper Jill Kelley made a sliding save to deny the Bulldogs.
The Elis went into halftime with an 8–2 edge in shots.
Quinnipiac had a good chance to knot the contest at the 72:18 mark when Kat Young took a shot from the top of the box, but it went wide of the net.
Coxe’s first career goal put the Elis ahead 2–0 late in the second half. Coxe took a cross from forward Mary Kubiuk ’13, juggled it over a defender and drilled it into the back of the net.
“It was nice to finally contribute on the scoreboard to the team,” Coxe said. “When you work hard on and off the field it’s nice to finally have something to show for that.”
The Yale defense only allowed one shot for the remainder of the game, to keep the Bobcats off the board. It was the team’s third shutout this season. The Bulldogs had four shutouts all of last season.
“I was very proud of our performance tonight,” head coach Rudy Meredith said. “It was a really good performance — a total performance. We played well offensively and defensively.”
The Bulldogs continue non-conference play this Friday when they host Vermont. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Reese Stadium.