Tag Archive: Field Hockey

  1. FIELD HOCKEY: Yale stuns Penn in overtime thriller

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    Despite dropping its 2–0 halftime lead, the Yale field hockey team persevered to emerge victorious against Penn in a hard-fought overtime contest on Saturday at Johnson Field.

    With the memory of their win over Dartmouth still fresh in their minds, the Bulldogs (6–8, 2–3 Ivy) took to the field this past weekend anticipating a difficult challenge against Ivy League rival Penn (9–5, 3–2). The Elis led 2–0 going into the first half, but were unable to maintain their lead as the Quakers scored two goals in quick succession before the final whistle. The game was sent into a dramatic overtime period, which Bulldog captain and midfielder Steffi Katz ’17 ended with a powerful goal, earning Yale its first victory over the Quakers since 2011.

    “I think we played good, aggressive hockey and were really resilient [today],” head coach Pam Stuper said. “We’ve been in a really good place, and I think that the Dartmouth win was big for us. Scoring [seven] goals got everyone believing we can generate attack, and we came out hard to start [against Penn], which was exactly what we intended to do. We followed the game plan and scored the two goals.”

    Despite allowing Penn to snatch two quick penalty corners in the first few minutes of the game, the Bulldogs claimed the majority of possession in the first half. Forward Bridget Condie ’20 drew a penalty corner in the 15th minute of the contest, which fellow attacker Allie Carrigan ’19 converted into the first score of the match and her fifth goal on the season.

    Forward Carol Middough ’18, the team leader with eight goals in 2016, contributed the second of the Bulldogs’ regulation-time strikes off a slick pass from forward Danee Fitzgerald ’17. Middough received the ball on her reverse stick and swung powerfully, sending in a backhand shot past Penn netminder Liz Mata. Middough once again spearheaded Yale’s offense, claiming four of the Elis’ 13 shots on goal.

    “I was trying to get a corner but nobody went for the ball, so I just took the shot and it went in,” Middough said. “I think this is our [second] game this season we had to go into overtime, so it’s definitely great to have not given up and to finish with a win.”

    But the Quakers soon took control of the second half by firing in two masterful penalty corner goals in less than two minutes to level the scoreboard. The Bulldog defense struggled to find the outlet passes that had previously given the team so much time on the ball, and the Eli attackers followed an eight-shot first half with just two shots in the final 35 minutes of regulation.

    The Penn offense, on the other hand, took 11 shots in the half and had three opportunities to take a one-goal lead in the final six minutes of regulation. Eli goalkeeper Emilie Katz ’17 was called upon to make a dive with just two minutes left on the clock, denying Quaker forward Sofia Palacios’ sixth shot on goal and sending the match into overtime.

    “At halftime we talked about how … Penn is a team that does not quit. They’re not going to sit back and just pack it in, and so [the goals] didn’t surprise me,” Stuper said. “I was a little frustrated with the second one coming so quickly, but [Penn is] a good team, and we know what it’s capable of. I thought our players showed tremendous resilience in the second half … and they were confident going into overtime because we practice it every week.”

    As the weather grew progressively wetter and windier, the game became more intense and difficult. The field opened up with only six players and a goalie allowed for each side in overtime, placing a massive workload on players chasing the ball. The action flew back and forth between the two ends of the field, with each team attempting several shots.

    But in the end, it was Steffi Katz who delivered the deciding blow. Fitzgerald collected the ball off a rebound from one of her own shots and passed it quickly across to Katz, who was waiting in front of the goal. The captain took a rapid-fire forehand volley and snapped the ball into the back of the net, securing the Elis’ first victory over Penn in five seasons and its second conference win in a row.

    “We were physically able to overcome our exhaustion when we went into overtime, and we felt the momentum because we had reconnected towards the end of the second half,” midfielder Marissa Medici ’19 said. “We kept each other positive, and I think that was key. It made the biggest difference in this game.”

    With the win, Yale improved to 2–3 in conference play, cementing the team in a four-way tie for fourth place in the Ancient Eight. The Bulldogs will continue their slate of home competition next weekend as they host Columbia on Saturday at 12 p.m.

    Matthew Mister contributed reporting.

  2. FIELD HOCKEY | Elis fall to Tigers, beat Sacred Heart

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    Last year, Yale and Princeton’s field hockey teams were Ivy League co-champions, but on Saturday, the Bulldogs fell to No. 3 Princeton in an 8–0 shutout. Yale, however, regained its footing to beat Sacred Heart the following day.

    Princeton (7–1, 2–0), entered Saturday’s game at Yale’s Johnson Field undefeated and beat Yale (3–4, 1–1) in what was mostly a defensive struggle for the Elis. Princeton outshot Yale 33–4, and Yale goalkeeper Emily Cain ’14 made nine saves before being relieved midway through the second half by Heather Schlesier ’15. Princeton scored three goals in the first half and five in the second.

    “A team like Princeton is difficult to defend because they have proven themselves to be very dangerous inside the circle — even if only given a few opportunities,” Cain wrote in an email to the News. “That being said, I think that our defense really did a good job stepping up against some of the best strikers in the country and had many successes in our performance.”

    Losing to Princeton is a tough blow for Yale, as the Tigers are the highest-ranked team in the Ivy League. Since 2009, Yale has won 18 of 19 games it has played against Ivy League schools other than Princeton, and the Elis lost to Princeton last year, 3–2.

    Each year, Yale spends much of the beginning of its season preparing for the game against Princeton, as it is considered one of the most important games in the field hockey schedule.

    “Every year we play Princeton pretty early in the season, and I always try to get some top teams … on the schedule before we play Princeton, because we know they’re going to be a top team,” head coach Pam Stuper told the News last week. “I think it’s important that you have an opportunity to play a top team before you have that game.”

    On Sunday, Yale defeated Sacred Heart (5–3) with a final score of 3–1. Midfielder and back Noelle Villa ’16, midfielder Erica Borgo ’14 and forward Jessie Accurso ’15 each scored goals.

    “We worked as a team very well against Sacred Heart,” Schlesier said in an email. “We continued to find each other up the field and were able to put in three beautiful goals. I definitely think the win today will help carry us into next weekend against Cornell.”

    Borgo added that the team will keep its focus as it heads into an Ivy League competition against Cornell next weekend.

    Yale will hit the road to take on Cornell (1–6, 1–1) on Saturday and Syracuse (9–0) on Sunday.

  3. FIELD HOCKEY | Bulldogs clinch first Ivy win

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    After securing their fourth consecutive victory against Harvard on Saturday, the field hockey team’s class of 2013 will graduate undefeated in their version of The Game.

    Mary Beth Barham ’13 dealt Harvard (1–4, 0–1 Ivy) a game-ending blow in overtime with a goal off a penalty corner from Brooke Gogel ’14, clinching the historic win for Yale. The Bulldogs (2–3, 1–0) then suffered a loss to the undefeated No. 5 University of Connecticut (7–0) on Sunday.

    “I think everybody really had the desire, the desire to win and the desire to finish in that game, because it’s obviously a big rivalry,” Barham said. “And for us seniors it was the fourth year, so we swept them throughout our career.”

    Barham scored both of Yale’s goals against Harvard. The first goal, coming just over 24 minutes in the first half, gave Yale an early lead, and the second, off Gogel’s assist, allowed Yale to pull ahead permanently in overtime.

    It was Gogel’s first time back on the field since her freshman year, when she suffered a back injury. The forward has served as the team manager since then. As the team reshuffled its roster to account for starting midfielder and back Georgia Holland’s ’14 absence because of a season-ending knee injury, Gogel stepped up and earned the team its game-winning assist.

    “She’s been so diligent with her rehab and taking care of herself and getting her into a position to be able to play again,” Stuper said. “It’s great to have her back on the field.”

    Gogel said in an email that she had spent the past week training hard in practice to prepare for the weekend and added that she is excited to again contribute to the team on the field.

    “It felt absolutely incredible to beat Harvard,” Gogel said. “The seniors made school history, since they are the only Yale field hockey team to have won against Harvard four years in a row.”

    She added that in the UConn game, the defense continued its solid performance and did not allow any goals in open field play.

    Gogel and Barham played again on Sunday against UConn, but this time Yale could not muster a victory over the national field hockey powerhouse and fell 3–0. The Elis were outshot 28–1.

    Stuper said she was impressed with the team’s ability to improve in every game and added that she was especially proud of the team’s performances against Harvard and in the first half of the UConn game.

    “There’s been some adversities and challenges for us early on this season and I think the team’s really shown a tremendous amount of fortitude, persevered to really battle through those things and I think we’ve gotten stronger and stronger each game, which is always exciting to see.”

    The Bulldogs are at home next weekend and will take on Princeton next Saturday at noon and Sacred Heart on Sunday at 2 p.m.

  4. FIELD HOCKEY | Clock runs out on Elis

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    In a gut-wrenching showdown in the final seconds of Saturday’s game, Hofstra (4–1) blocked three consecutive corner shots from the Bulldogs (1–2) and left Johnson field victorious for the first time in six years.

    After Hofstra scored its only point in the first ten minutes, the Bulldogs’ tough defense led by goalkeeper Emily Cain ’14 held the game at a stalemate. When the time ran out, the ball was still inside Hofstra’s goal circle. According to field hockey rules, the match continues until the play leaves the circle or a team scores, leading to a charged finale that had spectators on their feet.

    Though Yale was disappointed with the outcome, Hofstra coach Kathy De Angelis said the game could have easily gone in Yale’s favor.

    “We were out-shot and out-cornered — statistically, we were lucky to end up first on the scoreboard,” De Angelis said.

    The Bulldogs made 21 attempts on goal, including eight direct corner shots, but failed to finish their offensive surges. Strikers Nicole Wells ’16 led a dramatic break-away at the end of the first half and fed Jessie Accurso ’15, but the Pride’s goalkeeper Kaitlyn De Turo denied Accurso’s shot. De Turo maintains a .833 career save percentage.

    Yale head coach Pam Stuper said the best part of the Bulldogs’ play was a tight defense and skillful backfield passing, and added that the team improved these skills in practice last week.

    “We were strong defensively and held them quite well,” Stuper said.

    Cain made two miraculous back-to-back saves in the first half. Cain’s efforts and the hustle of relentless midfielder Mary Beth Barham ’13 were key to holding off Hofstra’s strong offensive line when the play moved to Yale’s side of the field.

    Adversities harmed the Bulldogs’ chances at a win, Stuper said. Hard-hitting back Georgia Holland ’14 went down in the first period with a knee injury. The game stalled for several minutes as responders helped her off the field, and she retired from the rest of the match.

    Teammates were especially concerned about the nature of the injury, as Holland was selected last month to be one of 18 American field hockey players representing the United States in the Under-21 (U21) Pan American Championship in Guadalajara, Mexico. Unfortunately, Holland will not be competing in Mexico, Stuper said in an email last night.

    The team has also faced the challenge of a large turnover this year. But Sharp and Stuper said the new freshmen are overcoming the dual challenge of adjusting to both college life and to the team.

    “They’re doing really well and forming a cohesive unit,” Sharp said. “We lost some good players, but the freshmen are stepping up.”

    As of Saturday, Stuper said she is not sure if the team will continue its goal-a-thon or find other means to meet the $50,000 for the “Get a Grip” campaign for myotonic dystrophy research in honor of team member Ona McConnell ’13 Today’s shutout will ultimately not detract from the amount of money raised, she added.

    The Bulldogs are still driven to have the scoreboard reflect their hard work and energy as they enter their first Ivy League game, Sharp said. Training for the upcoming match at Harvard (1–1), Sharp said the team will revisit fundamentals and hold on to Saturday’s high intensity level, which should help the Elis finish their offensive attempts and score some points.

  5. FIELD HOCKEY | Bulldogs look to continue momentum

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    The field hockey team is looking for its sixth straight victory over Hofstra (3–1) this weekend.

    Both the Pride and the Bulldogs (1–1) are coming into this matchup with very different wins. The Bulldogs won their home opener with just under five minutes left against Quinnipiac last Sunday, while the Pride won handily, scoring five unanswered goals against St. Joseph’s.

    While the Bulldogs have edged over the Pride in each of the past five matchups by an average of 2.4 goals, each game has been a hard-fought win. With six graduating starters, fresh talent will have to jump immediately in alongside some of the more experienced players.

    Yale will look for new scoring forces this year after four of six leading scorers graduated from last year’s Ivy League Championship team. Sophomore Jonel Boileau will lead the scoring charge for Hofstra after a hat trick last game and a season total of six goals.

    While the Bulldogs have been enjoying scoring from several contributors, they have been working incessantly to improve team defense.

    “In addition to working on our corner play regularly, we have really been focusing on team defense all over the field this week,” head coach Pam Stuper said.

    The Bulldogs and the Pride look similar in goal with Yale’s Emily Cain ’14 making 21 of 27 saves on the season, and Hofstra’s Kaitlyn De Turo stopping 25 of 30 shots this year.

    “We’ve enjoyed competing against Hofstra the last five years,” Stuper added. “They are always a strong team that is consistently in and out of the top 20.”

    The Bulldogs are looking for another big victory at home before playing their next two games on the road.

    In two weeks, Yale will return home to take on No. 4 Princeton.

    The Bulldogs will take on Hofstra at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Johnson Field.

  6. FIELD HOCKEY | In third year, ‘Get a Grip’ inspires team and fans

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    Ona McConnell ’13 grasped two fingers on her left hand with her right fist, struggling to release her grip. While trying to relax the muscles in her hands, McConnell explained that this occurs every time that she grasps her field hockey stick — several times a day, six days a week as a member of the varsity women’s team. “This is myotonia,” she explained.

    McConnell’s “passion” for field hockey began at the age of 9, and she eventually drew enough attention as a goalkeeper to be recruited for the varsity team at Yale.

    During her senior year of high school, however, she noticed a decline in the quality of her game: she began missing balls that she normally would have saved. Toward the middle of her freshman year at Yale, she experienced difficulty relaxing her grip. A doctor’s visit concluded with a diagnosis of myotonic dystrophy, the most common form of muscular dystrophy.

    The first question she asked her doctor was, “Can I still play field hockey?”

    She later asked doctors if playing sports would make her condition worse, and they told her that the evidence was inconclusive. McConnell told them, “If you can’t prove it, I’m going to continue.”

    While McConnell continued playing, she said her skills in goal have declined and her opportunity to earn playing time is low. She said that the symptoms of her disease persist, including the myotonia, which causes both her muscles to cramp and also constant tiredness. No cure for myotonic dystrophy exists, and the medicines that she takes to combat some of her symptoms add cognitive slowness to her other symptoms.

    “It was really annoying to not be able to do what I could [in goal],” she said. “I might have dropped out of Yale if it wasn’t for my team.”

    Soon after the diagnosis, McConnell met with head coach Pam Stuper, and the two brainstormed a way to raise awareness and money to combat the disease. Their conversation resulted in the Get a Grip campaign, which began McConnell’s sophomore year. The annual campaign kicked off last weekend with the Get a Grip game against Quinnipiac on Saturday.

    Maddy Sharp ’13, the captain and forward on the field hockey team, said the game is very meaningful for the team. She added that each year, the team sells T-shirts and wristbands on campus during the week leading up to the game, and the game draws one of the largest crowds of the season. Saturday’s come-from-behind 3–2 victory was no exception.

    In addition to the game, which raises awareness about myotonic dystrophy, Sharp said the team runs a season-long Goal-a-Thon, in which people pledge to donate a certain amount of money for each goal the team scores. McConnell said that over the past two years, the campaign has raised $90,000, all of which supports research to find a cure for myotonic dystrophy.

    In the offseason, Sharp said, the team still cares strongly for the campaign, but it does not necessarily remain at the forefront of team members’ minds because McConnell never complains about having the disease. Sharp said her work ethic is just as strong as any of the other players, and McConnell is a source of inspiration for the team.

    Stuper added, “Despite what other student-athletes have that day — a tough class, a tough exam … [Ona’s playing] just can’t help [but] to inspire you to dig a little deeper.”

    McConnell said she remains active in the fight against myotonic dystrophy throughout the year through her involvement as a board member for the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation. The nonprofit organization organizes conferences, raises money, and garners awareness about the disease in the hope of finding a cure.

  7. FIELD HOCKEY | Elis win at home opener, kick off campaign

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    Yale field hockey ended its home opener against Quinnipiac in a victory with minutes to spare.

    With Sunday’s match, the field hockey team launched its third annual Get A Grip fundraiser for the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation in honor of teammate Ona McConnell ’13, who has been battling the disease since her freshman year. The Bulldogs came out of the weekend with a win and a loss, and a large turnout of fans, family and the Yale Precision Marching Band attended the home game to support both the team and the campaign.

    “Our first weekend of games is always filled with a combination of nerves and excitement, especially with the Get A Grip campaign happening during this time as well,” midfielder Erica Borgo ’14 said. “We expected both teams to come out ready to play, considering they already had a few more games under their belts than us, so we knew we had to be on our toes.”

    With the graduation of high-scoring players last spring and a shifting of roles up front, three freshmen had the chance to prove themselves as part of the starting lineup. Defender Molly Wolf ’16 and Nicole Wells ’16 scored in the second half of Yale’s game against the Bobcats on Sunday and shifted the balance to propel the Elis to a 3–2 win.

    “Playing in my first collegiate game [against Fairfield] was obviously a little nerve-wracking,” Wolf said. “It’s exciting to get to take the field with my team and see all our hard work pay off.”

    The Bulldogs had fallen behind in the first half 2–0. But then the freshmen stepped up, and Borgo followed with the game winning goal off of a pass from forward Gabby Garcia ’14 with 4:54 left in the game.

    Spectator Kirsten Leung ’14 said she had a lot of fun watching Sunday’s home opener.

    “You could tell that the team had been practicing really hard, had a lot of energy and were all working together to win for a great cause,” she said.

    On Friday, the Elis were down early on in their first game of the season against the Fairfield Stags. Yale allowed three goals in the first 11 minutes of play. Although Stags scored only once more in the remainder of the game, the Bulldogs fell 4–0 in their first contest.

    Yale ended the game with 15 saves in net by Emily Cain ’14 and nine shots on the opposing goal.

    The Elis will take a break until next Saturday when they will take on Hofstra (3–1) at Johnson Field at 1 p.m.

  8. FIELD HOCKEY | Elis look to repeat championship

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    After becoming the first Yale field hockey team crowned Ivy League champions in 31 years, the Bulldogs are aiming for another championship title this season under the leadership of captain and forward Maddy Sharp ’13.

    The Bulldogs graduated six players from last year’s team, including four of their top six scorers. The championship team earned an 11–6–0 record in the previous season and finished with a strong 7–0 win over Brown to clinch the title.

    “After being Ivy champs last year, our expectations for this season are much of the same,” midfielder Erica Borgo ’14 said. “Although we lost a key group of seniors last year, replacing them will be hard but manageable. The talent we have returning will help keep us on the same successful track as last year.”

    Sharp, the captain, started all 17 games in the past season, proving that she will be a consistent force as a forward for the Bulldogs. She is joined in the offensive lineup by Gabby Garcia ’14 who also made an appearance in all 17 games in the past season. She ended with four goals and one assist.

    The midfield has a strong list of returners as well, including two juniors who participated in USA Field Hockey events. Borgo, who set the school record for assists in the 2011 season, played on the North team at the National Championships this past summer. Classmate Georgia Holland ’14, an All-Ivy League recipient, was selected to the U.S. under-21 team.

    “My expectations are that we focus on the process, take one game at a time, and play the very best that we can each day we take the field for practice or competition,” coach Pam Stuper said.

    The team will gain five freshmen in the upcoming season. Three of the new additions, Danee Fitzgerald ’16, Noelle Villa ’16 and Nicole Wells ’16, were all-USA Field Hockey Futures participants. Forward Sakshi Kumar ’16 played on the under-18 and under-21 National Teams for Hong Kong. Molly Wolf ’16 took part in the Junior Olympics for USA Field Hockey in 2010 and will play at Yale as a back.

    Yale’s schedule includes six teams — Albany, Boston University, Princeton, Syracuse, UConn and Virginia — ranked in the top 25 of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Preseason Poll released last week. Yale was not on the list. Sharp said that the Sept. 22 game against Princeton will be one of its toughest, as the team lost to the Tigers in the Ivy League Championship game in both 2009 and 2010.

    “We have a tough schedule again which puts us against top 20 teams, including Syracuse and UVA, and to make it to the NCAA tournament we really need to come out with a win in a few of those games,” forward and midfielder Mary Beth Barham ’13 said. Sharp also said that the team hopes to make the NCAA tournament.

    The Elis will open up the season this Friday on the road against Fairfield, whom Yale defeated 6–0 last season. The first home game will be this coming Sunday against Quinnipiac at Johnson Field in New Haven. The Bulldogs fell to the Bobcats in a close 3–2 loss as a result of penalty strokes last year.

  9. FIELD HOCKEY | Bulldogs claim Ivy title

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    Just seven minutes into the game, midfielder/back Georgia Holland ’14 launched toward the net with a six-game winning streak and an Ivy League title hanging in the balance.

    The rest is history.

    Among cheering crowds chanting “Ivy Champions”, the Yale field hockey team (11–6, 6–1 Ivy) capped one of its greatest record-breaking seasons as it won its second Ivy League Championship in 31 years Saturday, 7–0, over the Brown Bears (4–13, 0–7).

    “The game was unbelievable,” forward Mia Rosati ’12 said. “I’m going to remember it forever.”

    Going into the game, the Bulldogs wanted nothing less than a win. After six straight wins, midfielder Dinah Landshut ’12 said the Elis had gained the focus and energy necessary to clinch the Ivy title. Landshut added that it has always been the team’s goal to win the Ivy Championship.

    “It was such an amazing feeling to eventually achieve what only one Yale field hockey team has done before,” she said.

    And the Bulldogs ensured that they dominated right from the start, reminding the Bears why they are ranked number one in the Ancient Eight.

    After Holland’s goal at 7:06, the Bulldogs never looked back.

    Six minutes later, Rosati torpedoed a pass from forward Erica Borgo ’14 to make it 2–0. But Yale did not stop there.

    As Brown missed its penalty corners and goalkeeper Emily Cain ’14 kicked the ball out, back Taylor Sankovich ’12 blasted a corner goal at 21:40, assisted by Borgo and forward/midfielder Emily Schuckert ’14. Just four minutes later, Schuckert set up forward Kirsten Krebs ’12, who drilled in the corner to bring up a distinct 4–0 into halftime.

    But Brown was not a weak team. Back Erin Carter ’12 said the Bears were capable of overturning the score, which was part of why the Bulldogs shot relentlessly at every scoring opportunity.

    “Brown wasn’t a team that would give up,” Carter said. “We had to continue to work hard and keep the game in our control.”

    Yale’s four-goal lead was clear at the half. But head coach Pam Stuper said the team did not change its attitude and kept the momentum going into the second half.

    Carter struck one seven minutes into the second half, assisted by Borgo and midfielder/back Chelsey Locarno ’12.

    Cain blocked a close ball two minutes later, and Krebs drilled her second shot of the game at 60:33 to make it 6–0. As goalkeeper Heather Schlesier ’12 stepped in, she preserved the shutout with a pair of saves.

    Even with a decisive win three minutes left in the game, Carter blasted a penalty corner — her 18th goal of the season — marking the final score 7–0.

    The Bulldogs tightly pushed the Bears from any shots during the entire game, allowing just six shots, and recorded an overwhelming 51–6 shot advantage. Even with 20 saves, Brown goalkeeper Shannon McSweeney could not handle the Bulldog offense.

    The game marked Yale’s third shutout of the season, which Carter attributes to the team’s hard work ethic and individual responsibility.

    An integral part was the combination of goalkeepers Cain, Schlesier, and Ona McConnell ’13.

    “Our hard work, focus and energy has paid off this season,” Landshut added. “We could not be more happy.”

    But the field hockey team’s success goes beyond the league. The Bulldogs concluded their season with single-season school records in goals, 69 and assists, 68. They were ranked no. 20 in the country in winning percentage with .625 and no. 4 in points per game with 183. They were no. 7 in goals per game with 3.88.

  10. FIELD HOCKEY | Elis take final shot at title

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    After six straight wins, the Yale field hockey team is certainly enjoying its two-way tie for first place in the Ivy League.

    The mood seems to be much more somber in Providence, where Brown has lost all Ancient Eight games this season.

    The Bulldogs (10–6, 5–1 Ivy) are looking to clinch its seventh straight win for a share of the Ivy title as they take on the Bears (4–12, 0–6) at Johnson Field this Saturday on Senior Day at 1 p.m.

    “I think everyone really wants it badly,” back Lexy Adams ’13 said. “Everyone is really into it. In order to go any farther we have to give it our all.”

    The team has not won an Ivy title since 1980. Although recent years have brought agonizingly close results — the past eight years have brought four second-place finishes — midfielder Dinah Landshut ’12 said this year the team is better at bouncing back from an opponent’s goal.

    “We don’t get back in our heels anymore,” she said in a previous interview. “Instead we are looking to score the goal and shut the opponent down that way.”

    Offensive power play this season has brought Yale up in national rankings. In the latest womensfieldhockey.com poll, Yale ranked 19th in the country. Yale is currently ranked seventh in the nation in terms of goals per game with 3.88.

    The individual players are some of the best the team has seen in years. The Bulldogs boast two top-15 players: Landshut — who also holds Yale’s career assist record with 43 — at sixth and forward Erica Borgo ’14 at 13th in assists per game. This is the first time in 32 years of school history that two players reached double digits in assists in the same season. On the defensive line, goalkeeper Emily Cain ’14 ranks 19th in the nation with a save percentage of .750 and 1.95 goals-against average.

    Yale started off one of its best weekends with a 3–1 win over Columbia on Friday. On Sunday, back Erin Carter ’12 — three-time Ivy League Player of the Week this season — blasted the 56th goal of the season the Elis’ 8–0 shutout over Holy Cross to break the 13-year-old school record for goals and assists of 53 and drive the field hockey team to its sixth straight win.

    Although the Bulldogs fell to the Bears in four of their last six games, forward/midfielder Mary Beth Barham ’13 said that Yale is ready to play and give this match its all this Saturday.

    “At this point in the season we know we have to give it our all,” she said in a previous interview. “We want to finish strong.”

    Brown will bring two former All-Ivy League honorable mentions: forward Leslie Springmeyer — a three-time All-Ivy pick—and back Laura Iacovetti. The two will face Yale in their final game as seniors on Saturday.

    The Class of 2012 — including Carter, Landshut, forward Mia Rosati ’12, back Taylor Sankovich ’12, forward/midfielder Kirsten Krebs ’12 and midfielder/back Chelsey Locarno ’12 — will be honored as part of Senior Day for winning the second most games in Yale history.

    By the time the Bulldogs face off with the Bears on Saturday, Yale will know whether this game is for the Ivy League title or a share of it, since Princeton — with whom Yale shares the first-place title — plays Penn on Friday. But back Adamssaid that the team will continue playing its game this weekend.

    “We’re all absolutely playing as hard as we can,” she said. “But I definitely think it’s a one-game-at-a-time mentality.”

  11. FIELD HOCKEY | Elis move up Ivy rankings

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    Just five minutes into the field hockey game on Friday, back Erin Carter ’12 blasted a pass from midfielder Dinah Landshut ’12 past Columbia goalkeeper Desi Scherf to notch up Yale to a 1–0 lead.

    What followed was one of the best games of the season, as Yale (10–6, 5–1 Ivy League) chewed up Columbia (8–8, 4–2) in a 3–1 win and kicked the Lions off the three-way tie for first place in the Ivy League. The Bulldogs now enjoy a six-game winning streak and stand in a two-way tie for first in the Ancient Eight with Princeton.

    “We had played, in my opinion, the absolute best hockey I’ve ever seen a Yale team play,” forward Mia Rosati ’12 said.

    After squeezing out a 2–1 victory over Penn on a difficult surface last weekend, the team was back on familiar turf in New York. The Bulldogs did not allow the Lions to overcome a slow offensive start. Yale outshot the Lions 19–5 shot and an 11–3 corner advantage by the end of the game.

    In addition to its Ivy League win, the Bulldogs shut out Holy Cross (1-16) on Sunday 8–0 when the team made its 56th goal of the season to break the 13-year school record for goals and assists, 53.

    But the team did not do anything different this weekend— forward/midfielder Mary Beth Barham ’13 said it has continued to work hard but has a stronger team mentality.

    “This year we’ve adopted a ‘so what, next play’ attitude knowing that we can’t do anything but get it [possession] back,” she said.

    On Friday, within the first 10minutes, the Bulldogs clinched a lead with Carter’s blast, assisted by Landshut, at the 5:45 mark.

    Although Columbia goalkeeper Christie O’Hara showed some spectacular saves—including a kick shot by forward/midfielder Emily Schuckert ’14 less than a minute after Carter’s first goal—the Bulldogs rifled five more shots before Erica Borgo ’14 drilled a pass from Barham to make it 2–0.

    The Lions managed to stay alive offensively as Columbia back Desi Scherf edged a goal to inch the gap 2–1.

    But Columbia never closed the deficit. Just six minutes later, Carter once again converted off Landshut’s pass to fire in a goal, bringing the score to 3–1 by the end of the second half.

    “Keeping our focus and energy was key to getting back at them after they scored,” Landshut said.

    On Sunday the Bulldogs continued their powerhouse play, scoring six goals within the first half against Holy Cross.

    “[We] completely dominated the game like I knew we could,” Rosati said.

    Friday’s win kept the Bulldogs in a tie for first place in the Ancient Eight, and Yale will seek to preserve that position as it enters the season finale against Brown at Johnson Field this Saturday.

    While a win against the Bears would assure the Bulldogs a share of the Ivy League title, Carter knows that the key to the team’s success this season has been focusing on one game at a time, taking the season day by day.

    Rosati added that maintaining the elevated level of play should help the team continue its outstanding play.

    “It’s a great feeling to play with a group of girls who are all so talented,” she said. “If we keep elevating our play like we have, we should end the regular season on a high note.”