Just five minutes into the field hockey game on Friday, back Erin Carter ’12 blasted a pass from midfielder Dinah Landshut ’12 past Columbia goalkeeper Desi Scherf to notch up Yale to a 1–0 lead.
What followed was one of the best games of the season, as Yale (10–6, 5–1 Ivy League) chewed up Columbia (8–8, 4–2) in a 3–1 win and kicked the Lions off the three-way tie for first place in the Ivy League. The Bulldogs now enjoy a six-game winning streak and stand in a two-way tie for first in the Ancient Eight with Princeton.
“We had played, in my opinion, the absolute best hockey I’ve ever seen a Yale team play,” forward Mia Rosati ’12 said.
After squeezing out a 2–1 victory over Penn on a difficult surface last weekend, the team was back on familiar turf in New York. The Bulldogs did not allow the Lions to overcome a slow offensive start. Yale outshot the Lions 19–5 shot and an 11–3 corner advantage by the end of the game.
In addition to its Ivy League win, the Bulldogs shut out Holy Cross (1-16) on Sunday 8–0 when the team made its 56th goal of the season to break the 13-year school record for goals and assists, 53.
But the team did not do anything different this weekend— forward/midfielder Mary Beth Barham ’13 said it has continued to work hard but has a stronger team mentality.
“This year we’ve adopted a ‘so what, next play’ attitude knowing that we can’t do anything but get it [possession] back,” she said.
On Friday, within the first 10minutes, the Bulldogs clinched a lead with Carter’s blast, assisted by Landshut, at the 5:45 mark.
Although Columbia goalkeeper Christie O’Hara showed some spectacular saves—including a kick shot by forward/midfielder Emily Schuckert ’14 less than a minute after Carter’s first goal—the Bulldogs rifled five more shots before Erica Borgo ’14 drilled a pass from Barham to make it 2–0.
The Lions managed to stay alive offensively as Columbia back Desi Scherf edged a goal to inch the gap 2–1.
But Columbia never closed the deficit. Just six minutes later, Carter once again converted off Landshut’s pass to fire in a goal, bringing the score to 3–1 by the end of the second half.
“Keeping our focus and energy was key to getting back at them after they scored,” Landshut said.
On Sunday the Bulldogs continued their powerhouse play, scoring six goals within the first half against Holy Cross.
“[We] completely dominated the game like I knew we could,” Rosati said.
Friday’s win kept the Bulldogs in a tie for first place in the Ancient Eight, and Yale will seek to preserve that position as it enters the season finale against Brown at Johnson Field this Saturday.
While a win against the Bears would assure the Bulldogs a share of the Ivy League title, Carter knows that the key to the team’s success this season has been focusing on one game at a time, taking the season day by day.
Rosati added that maintaining the elevated level of play should help the team continue its outstanding play.
“It’s a great feeling to play with a group of girls who are all so talented,” she said. “If we keep elevating our play like we have, we should end the regular season on a high note.”