The Bulldogs took to the road this past week, meeting Hartford and Stony Brook on Thursday and on Sunday, posting two ties.
The women’s soccer team managed a 1–1 draw against the Hartford Hawks last Thursday. The team agreed that they did not play to their potential until late into the first half. Midfielder Paula Hagopian ’16 felt that the turnaround occurred shortly before Yale’s first goal. She said Hartford seemed to be a step ahead of the Bulldogs for most of the half and it took until there was about five minutes left in the first frame for Yale to pick up the pace.
With the Hartford team dominating the first half, goalie Rachel Ames ’16 was able to hold off the aggressive Hawks offense until the 38th minute, when a shot from inside the box found the back of the net. She said the team was able to rally together and push back offensively.
“We struggled to keep our composure on an unfamiliar field during the first half. We weren’t connected or playing to our full potential to begin with, but we came together as a team to sort it out,” Ames said. “It was challenging being a goal down, but we did what we needed to tie the game.”
Yale’s goal came just four minutes after Hartford’s, when forward Michelle Alozie ’19 sunk a deflected corner kick to bring the Elis back into the game.
Alozie, who was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week for the second week in a row, lamented that Yale was unable to take the lead after coming back from the goal deficit.
“We didn’t start the game the way we wanted to. I think most of us were not focused on the game since it was a midweek game,” Alozie said. “After the halftime talk we zoned in. Sadly, we were only able to tie the game up after double over time.”
On Sunday, the Bulldogs had complete control throughout the match against Stony Brook. They outshot the Seawolves 22–11 and had seven corners to Stony Brook’s three.
Midfielder Maggie Furlong ’18 thought that Yale played both sides of the ball effectively.
“We played really well yesterday; the team possessed the ball extremely well and we got a great goal,” Furlong said.
The first half ended in a stalemate of 0–0, and the Elis came powering through after halftime. Yale was able to get on the scoreboard 16 minutes after kickoff when defender Sarah McCauley ’18 netted her first goal of the season.
The match continued with the Bulldogs maintaining possession throughout, but the referee blew for a penalty with less than three minutes until the final whistle. The Seawolves successfully tied up the game and though Yale took the only shots in both overtime periods, they were unable to convert. The match ended at 1–1 and was the last game before Yale begins Ivy League competition. McCauley said the team was able to pick up more experience and will be ready to look toward the Ivy League Championship.
“I feel really confident going into our Ivy opener against Princeton this weekend. Having been able to rest some players, build confidence and get a good run in against Stony Brook [on Sunday], I really think we’re going to come out flying on Saturday. I know we’re ready for anything we get thrown at us,” McCauley said.
Yale’s Ivy opener is next Saturday, when they travel to New Jersey to take on Princeton at 4 p.m.