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The Yale women’s lacrosse team lost its first-half footing against a strong Albany team at home last Saturday.
The latest meeting between the two teams before Saturday saw the Elis (1–1, 0–0 Ivy) fall by a narrow margin of two goals in a 13–15 loss. Albany (1–1, 0–0 America East) has always proved to be a tough team to play against, with their last three meetings against Yale having ended with a score differential of just two goals. The Blue and White last tasted victory against the Great Danes at home in 2018.
On Saturday, Albany leaped to an early lead after scoring two goals in the first five minutes of the half. Midfielder Olivia Markert ’21 responded soon after with her sixth of the season, seizing upon a man-down opportunity to open the scoring for the Elis.
Fellow midfielder Bri Carrasquillo ’23 put in a top-drawer performance to help Yale pull away. The Georgia native found the net on four occasions in the first half. Her nine draw controls recorded over the course of the game proved instrumental in the Elis’ retention of possession and kept Yale on pace with the Great Danes for most of the match.
“Today was definitely a hard loss, but our team is pretty young, and we have great chemistry,” Carrasquillo said. “This game was definitely a learning experience, but I think it will only make us stronger and most importantly ready to take on Penn next weekend. I’m happy with the way I played and with what I was able to contribute today. I’m so proud to be a part of Yale Women’s Lacrosse, and I’m looking forward to a great season ahead.”
Yale cruised through to the end of the first half leading with a score of 8–4.
During the second half, the Elis suffered a defensive collapse. Albany found the back of the net on three uncontested occasions within the first 10 minutes and continued its scoring rout with four more over the half.
Yale’s lone goal came from Markert, who’s free position shot, and eighth goal of the season, capped off her second hat-trick in two appearances. Goalie Clare Boone ’22 recorded 11 saves over the full 60, with six in the second half.
The team, however, was ultimately unable to confront the offensive onslaught provided by Albany, giving possession away on ten occasions to fall short by a score of 12–9.
“I am proud of our whole team effort, especially in the first half,” head coach Erica Bamford said. “Our goal is to put together 60 full minutes. I believe in this team, and we look forward to getting back on the field against Hartford on Tuesday.”
The Elis return to the field tomorrow when they take on Hartford away from home. Yale will be looking to tighten up its defensive structure and hungry to grab a victory before beginning Ivy League play against Penn this coming Saturday.
The Bulldogs last faced off against the Hawks last year in an 18–4 victory. In that game, a combination of tight defensive work and strong offense denied Hartford a single goal until the 28:35 mark of the second half.
“We were proud of how we played in the first half of the game [against Albany],” midfielder and goal scorer Jill Gollob ’22 said. “Everyone was on the same page, working together and connecting. Our goal against Hartford and in all our games moving forward is to be able to put a full 60 minutes together and not have a drop off in the second half when we start off the game so strong.”
The Elis play away at Hartford on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
Ryan Chiao | ryan.chiao@yale.edu