The Yale field hockey team failed to break its six-game losing streak on Saturday, losing 4–0 to No. 19 Cornell.
Yale (1–8, 0–3 Ivy) was shut out by the Big Red (8–2, 3–0), the second straight game the Bulldogs have been held without a goal. The Elis have averaged just one goal per game, the fewest in the Ivy League and 1.1 goals per game behind seventh-place Princeton.
“The team is looking to make a change right now,” captain Nicole Wells ’16 said. “We are on a tough streak, but with all the games we have left we can still turn it around. At this point for [the team] I think it is a mental game: deciding that we want to be winners and players of pride.”
Despite a quick score by Cornell midfielder Sam McILwrick within the first five minutes of the game, Yale kept the Big Red from increasing its lead until the very end of the first half, when Cornell scored at the 35-minute mark.
Cornell limited Yale to only three shots the entire game, while taking 19 of its own.
In the last six games, Yale has scored two or fewer goals every game, while opponents have scored at least three each time. In the wake of Saturday’s loss, the team recognized this weakness as well.
“For the rest of the season, a team goal is to take pride in how we go about our business and capitalize on the opportunities we create,” back Noelle Villa ’16 said before facing Cornell.
The Big Red also prevented Yale from taking a penalty corner for all 70 minutes of play. Yale has not been awarded more penalty corners than its opponent since the Bulldogs faced Sacred Heart on Sept. 8, the team’s second game of the season.
Goalkeeper Heather Schlesier ’15 saved 11 shots to help stop Cornell’s offense, slightly fewer than the 15 saves she had in last weekend’s game against Stanford.
“We definitely didn’t play to the best of our ability,” midfielder Kelsey Nolan ’17 said, “But we’re using the game as a learning opportunity, hopefully leading to more success in the future.”
Cornell currently holds the top position in the Ivy League and earned its first national ranking in program history last week. The team’s seven-game win streak was snapped by American University on Oct. 5.
Since the Elis returned from New York, they have been preparing for their next game against Bryant (3–7, 0–0 Northeast Conference) at home on Wednesday, when they hope to snap the losing streak.
“We’re really focusing on supporting each other and communication,” Nolan said. “If we can do that, we’ll be successful.”
The skid is Yale’s longest since a five-game losing streak in 2008.
However, Bryant has a 1–6 record away from home, an auspicious sign for Yale.
“It may seem like our record is not looking too good right now, but we have made some radical and also subtle changes to the way we go about our business on the field,” Wells said. “The season is not over yet.”
The game will begin at 7 p.m. under the lights of Johnson Field.