Courtesy of Sam Rubin

On Sunday, the Yale Bulldogs (9–3, 2–2 Ivy) hosted the Dartmouth Big Green (7–4, 1–3 Ivy), bringing home their second Ivy League win of the season. The Bulldogs played with incredible stamina and tenacity and ended the game six goals up 12-6. 

Yale was coming off of a huge upset against Syracuse earlier this week, taking down the No. 6 team in the nation 13-10. The team made sure to take this momentum with them into Sunday’s game. 

“I’m incredibly proud of our team this week,” Fallon Vaughn ’25 told the News. “We had two tough games, and we came out on top in both. Dartmouth really pushed us to earn every goal, but our defense, along with our freshman goalie, stepped up big and made some key plays when we needed them most.”

Jenna Collignon ’25 scored the game’s first goal just five minutes into the first quarter. From there, Dartmouth and Yale went back and forth on the scoreboard, ending the first quarter 2-2. This was a game that came down to who could retain possession and convert on their opportunities, however, both teams were slow to start as they adjusted to their opponent. 

The second quarter was a different story. 

The Bulldogs scored double the amount of points as the Big Green, letting their offense shine. Taylor Lane ’25 put up two goals, while Vaughn and Sky Carrasquillo ’25 each tacked on another, finishing the first half with a two-goal lead, 6-4. 

One area that looked shakier than usual for the Bulldogs was their ability to secure draw controls. The Big Green ended the game with 16 while Yale trailed by 10, winning only 6. This was an aspect of the game the Bulldogs were prepared to deal with coming into the matchup, as the Big Green has shown their tenacity and precision on the draw circle all season long. 

The Bulldogs were able to stay hungry, however, and managed to win several turnovers, giving themselves some opportunities outside of the midfield. 

Going into the second half, both teams had a bit of a flat start. Dartmouth got their only goal with just over five minutes left in the third quarter. 

A few minutes later, Yale answered back, managing to hold their two-goal lead going into the fourth quarter. Vaughn did what she does best and made sure to take advantage of a free position on the center hash before time ran out.

Both teams were eager to put up some more points in the fourth quarter after only scoring one goal each in the third. Within the first few minutes, the Bulldogs were getting active inside the 12 meter. 

Lane came in hot, creating space for herself and ripping a shot to the top corner, putting the Bulldogs up by three. This was Lane’s third goal of the game, keeping up her stellar performance this season.

Soon after, Vaughn showed the Big Green that they could not contain her. After being double-teamed and fouled, Vaughn still found a way to get a shot off to extend the Bulldogs lead 9-5, the largest lead Yale had had up to that point. 

From there, the Bulldogs ran away with it. Vaughn put up her fourth goal of the day and in the last three minutes, Collignon put up her third. In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs put up five goals total, with Dartmouth putting up only one.

The final score landed at 12–6, a decisive win for the Bulldogs. 

The depth of the team has been incredible so far, from the dominant senior class to the standout first-year goalkeeper, Niamh Pfaff ’28 who filled in for usual goalie Cami Donadio ’25. This week has been a key moment in the Bulldogs’ season, as they were able to dig themselves out of a three-game losing streak and come out on top against two incredibly competitive teams.

Next weekend, Yale is heading down to Philadelphia to face their fifth Ivy League opponent of the season, the University of Pennsylvania Quakers. The game will be played on Saturday, April 12 and will start at 12 p.m.