Coming off last weekend’s sweep, the Yale field hockey team split its series of home games this weekend with a 2–0 loss against Penn (8–7, 4–1 Ivy) and a 5–2 victory against Lehigh (2–15, 1–5 Patriot League).
The Bulldogs (8–7, 2–3 Ivy) headed into Saturday afternoon’s game against the Quakers boasting two conference wins after having defeated Cornell and Dartmouth earlier in the season. While Saturday’s contest saw few scoring chances for either team, the Quakers ended up converting on two of their opportunities to clinch a two-goal victory against Yale. After the early-weekend loss, Sunday’s game played out in the Bulldogs’ favor, with five different players, including three first years, notching tallies for a 5–2 win.
“[Saturday’s game] was pretty even,” midfielder Imogen Davies ’21 said. “Unfortunately [the Quakers] took their chances, and we did not. What worked was outlet up the field and our work rate, [but] we need to be more composed and more clinical in our offensive circle and maybe even a little more aggressive. We still have more to give so it would be great to display some of that.”
Saturday’s match against Penn was statistically one of the most evenly played games of the season. The Quakers made six shots on goal compared to the Bulldogs’ five, and the teams tied in penalty corners with four each. For nearly 50 minutes, the defenses controlled play, and neither team successfully converted on offensive opportunities. At the 48-minute mark, however, Penn earned its fourth and last corner of the game. Assisted by midfielder Erin Kelly, back Alexa Schneck slotted the ball low and past Yale goalkeeper Sydney Terroso ’21 to break the stalemate in favor of the Quakers.
Just minutes later, Schneck sent a pass to forward Erin Quinn, who quickly turned and fired the ball into the Yale goal to build the Penn advantage. The Bulldogs had a chance to turn things around in a last minute corner, but the Quakers blocked an initial shot from forward Camille Scheyer ’20, and Penn goalkeeper Ava Rosati repelled the follow-up by midfielder Sarah King ’21. The game ended with a win for Penn, who now sits tied with Princeton for second place in the conference standings and holds a 4–1 Ivy League record.
“We just couldn’t get the ball in the net like we wanted to,” forward Anissa Abboud ’21 said. “We got into the circle and had shots but neglected to get the last final touch despite having a good game of hockey. Going into these last few games we want to capitalize and come up with wins to end the season on a high note right as we peak athletically and skillwise. It’ll be a good last few games to watch.”
Rosati finished with five saves in goal for Penn, while Yale’s Terroso recorded four. Selected to the first team All-Ivy League last season, Terroso was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week following last weekend’s pair of wins when she made a season-high 11 saves against Dartmouth. Despite just four stops against Penn, Terroso still boasts a .727 save percentage this season.
After a slow offensive start to the weekend, the Bulldogs picked it up in Sunday’s game against Lehigh. Yale’s opening goal came just after the 20-minute mark from Abboud, off an assist by midfielder Bridget Condie ’20. In a span of just over 11 minutes, the Bulldogs notched three more tallies, all from first years. The first goal of the second half came from midfielder Alissa Wong ’22 on a steal deep in Lehigh territory, and forward Kelly Dolan ’22 followed up with a successfully converted penalty corner. Just two minutes after Dolan found the back of the net, forward Théodora Dillman ’22 recorded her sixth goal of the season to give Yale its biggest lead of the day.
With the Bulldogs up 4–0, Lehigh made a momentary comeback by scoring a pair of goals with 10 minutes left to play, but Condie widened the lead again at 67:52, notching her fifth tally of the season and bringing Yale to a triumphant 5–2 finish. With a 1–0 lead at the beginning of the second half, the Bulldogs introduced goalkeeper Chaney Kalinich ’19 to the field for the first minutes of her career. Kalinich missed last season due to injury. After 35 minutes of play, she finished with a pair of saves.
“Going into the game, I was just thinking of the task ahead, and that it’s as simple as getting to the right position and stopping the ball,” Kalinich said. “Once I stepped off the field at the end of the game, though, I was able to reflect more on how far I’ve come and how many people have helped me along the way, and how happy I was that my family and friends were able to see me play again. I just really love the game and have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by people who want to help me play and succeed.”
The Bulldogs return to conference play next Saturday in a 12 p.m. game against Columbia on Johnson Field.
Lucy Liu | lucy.liu@yale.edu .