Lukas Flippo, Senior Photographer
Coming off of its most lopsided victory since blanking Merrimack in the home opener, the Yale field hockey team (7–8, 2–3 Ivy) will face Dartmouth (4–10, 0–5) in the first of its two final Ivy League matchups.
Last week, the Bulldogs were kept on their toes with three contests over the course of five days. After defeating Sacred Heart University and dropping a game to Penn, the Blue and White closed out the stretch strong with a crushing win over Hofstra University. Goals from six different players contributed to Sunday’s decisive victory, including penalty corners from midfielder Théodora Dillman ’23 and back Keely Comizio ’25. In addition to Dillman, fellow leading goal-scorer and forward Lena Ansari ’24 netted a tally of her own. Final goals from forward Ellie Barlow ’25, midfielder Ashley Kim ’24 and forward and midfielder Kelly Dolan ’22 further added insurance and asserted Yale’s dominance.
“We have gotten a lot of goals from [Théodora] and Lena this year but we know we can count on multiple other people to score, whether it’s a field goal or a corner,” Yale field hockey head coach Pam Stuper told Yale Athletics after the match. “It was nice to see people connecting.”
After emerging victorious in three of their last four battles, the Bulldogs look to add to the win column in their meeting with Dartmouth this Saturday. Both this weekend’s game and next week’s match against Cornell serve as an opportunity to build upon their conference record. While the Big Green have already faced five out of their seven Ancient Eight competitors, they remain on the hunt for a conference victory.
In addition to its superior overall record, Yale’s matchup history with Dartmouth also favors the Bulldogs. The Elis clinched victories in the two team’s last four meetings. The most recent game against Dartmouth featured a 6–0 shutout for the Bulldogs in one of their most dominant games of the 2019 campaign.
“As a senior, I want to get some Ivy wins on the board,” Dartmouth goaltender Isabella Santucci told The Dartmouth. “With our dedication and our mindset, that it is entirely within our grasp.”
Santucci has seen action in 12 contests this season, spending a total of 435 minutes in net and posting a .707 save percentage. On the front lines, Dartmouth’s offense is helmed by forward Holley Cromwell, who has notched three goals and made three assists so far. Meanwhile, Emilia Callahan and Cecelia Monnin lead the defense in points, combining for a total of eight.
While Ansari and Dillman both still sit at first on the team in points accumulated, captain and midfielder Imogen Davies’ ’22 eight helpers remain uncontested. With 26 career assists, the Kilmacolm, Scotland native now ranks fifth in assists in program history.
Luanna Summer ’24, Yale’s top goaltender, currently holds second place in the Ivy League in saves with 87. According to Summer, last week’s matchup with Hofstra was an indication that everything the team had been working towards all season long is paying off. The netminder offered great praise to her fellow Bulldogs for their accomplishments thus far in the 2021 campaign.
“I think everyone on the team has learned and improved so much this season,” Summer wrote to the News. “[We’re] just all hoping to end the season strong with two more wins!”
Yale’s game against Dartmouth will be broadcast live on ESPN+ at 1 p.m.