Tag Archive: Field Hockey

  1. FIELD HOCKEY | Elis seek to break Columbia

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    With just two Ivy League games left this season, the Yale field hockey team will seek to break its first-place tie in the league with Columbia and Princeton as it squares off against the Lions tonight at 6 p.m. The Elis will then host a non-league game against Holy Cross (1–14, 0–4 Patriot League) at Johnson Field Sunday at 1 p.m.

    The Bulldogs (8–6, 4–1 Ivy) enter Parents’ Weekend ranked 19th in the nation in the latest womensfieldhockey.com poll and are coming off a four-win streak with victories over Penn, Dartmouth, Fairfield, and No. 24 Northwestern.

    “This is probably the biggest game of the year, especially for our senior class because it’s our last shot at winning an Ivy Championship,” forward Mia Rosati ’12 said.

    The last time the two teams played, the Bulldogs edged a 3–2 win in overtime. This year the teams remain evenly matched. Coming into the game, the Lions (8–6, 4–1) also are enjoying a four-game winning streak, including defeats against Penn and Dartmouth, who also fell to the Bulldogs. The Lions enjoyed 1–0 shootout victory against Lafayette Tuesday night. The game contributed to Columbia’s defensive lead in the league, with a total of 12 saves by goalkeeper Christie O’Hara.

    On top of statistical advantages as a team, Columbia boasts strong individual players. Nearly a third of Columbia’s 31 goals this season have come from forward Gabby Kozlowski, who was a unanimous first team All-Ivy League selection and a second team All-Mideast Region selection last year. Defensive back Katie DeSandis leads the Ivy League with five defensive saves this season.

    But captain Erin Carter ’12 said Yale is especially ready to play its game after pulling off a win against Penn on a different type of turf.

    Forward Mary Beth Barham ’13 added Penn’s turf was bumpier and longer than Yale’s, leading to unpredictable bouncing, but Carter said Columbia’s turf resembles Yale’s field, which will bring the speed of the game back to what the team is used to.

    “[The Penn game proved] the team is well capable of coming up with a win though many things might not work in our favor,” Landshut added.

    With victories against teams like No. 24 Northwestern and most recently Dartmouth —who was undefeated in the Ivy League at the time —shows that the Bulldogs are getting stronger, Holland added.

    Yale currently has the top scoring offense in the Ancient Eight, leading the conference with 3.64 goals per game and a 1.37 scoring margin. Forward Erica Borgo ’14 and Landshut are nationally ranked in assists per game at 10th and 19th, respectively. The team has already broken the school record for points this season and is on its way to setting another one for goals and assists, with 51 goals already. The current goal-scoring record is 55 bythe 1998 team.

    On Sunday, Yale will face Holy Cross, who has lost 12 games in a row. The team has lost to three of Yale’s Ivy League rivals including Dartmouth, who fell to Yale 5–1.

    “We know we’re capable of playing a very high level of hockey,” Holland said. “I think we’re in a really good place right now.”

  2. FIELD HOCKEY | Elis overcome unfamiliar turf

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    As she caught the ball from midfielder Kirsten Krebs ’12, forward Erica Borgo ’14 lifted the ball on her backhand and edged it right past Penn goalkeeper Kieran Sweeney to score the tie-breaking point.

    Going into the weekend, the Yale field hockey team (8–6, 4–1) knew only a win against the Quakers (3–11, 1–4) would be good enough to maintain the team’s first place standing in the Ivy League. The team struggled at first with Franklin Field’s SprinTurf — artificial grass longer than AstroTurf and prone to more erratic bounces — midfielder Dinah Landshut ’12 said. But the players adjusted, and thanks to Sunday’s win, the Bulldogs now enjoy a four-win streak and stand in a three-way tie with Columbia and Princeton.

    “The game proved that the team is well capable of coming up with a win though many things might not work in our favor,” Landshut said.

    She added that the longer turf made it harder to control the ball. None of the fourteen shots during the first half produced goals.

    The Elis entered Sunday with a distinct statistical advantage in shots, shots on goal and corners against the Quakers. The Bulldogs triumphed against Cornell, Dartmouth and Harvard whereas the Quakers were only able to conquer the Big Red.

    At the start of this week, the Elis stood in a five-way tie for first, but two of the teams — Dartmouth and Harvard — lost games to Columbia and Princeton respectively and dropped out down the rankings to fourth.

    Despite a strong statistical edge, Yale ended up winning by only a slim 2-1 margin.

    “The turf definitely presented a challenge,” midfielder Mary Beth Barnham ’13 said.

    The Bulldogs planned to practice on special turf all week in preparation of the match, forward Mia Rosati ’12 told the News last week.

    But Barnham said the grass was even longer than expected.

    Possession changed frequently throughout the first half of the game with both sides grappling for the ball. Penn forward Julie Tahan shot a goal past goalkeeper Emily Cain ’14. Yale responded, but none of the next three shots on goal could pass Quaker goalkeeper Kieran Sweeney to close down the 1–0 deficit by halftime.

    In the second half, Landshut said the team adjusted better to the turf and blasted two goals past Sweeney to clench a victory.

    “We turned it around in the second half through teamwork and making the small things … count,” Landshut said.

    She added that the team came through by “stepping up the 50-50 balls” or winning balls between two opposing players that both could potentially reach.

    During the half, the Elis maintained near-constant control but still did not score on 10 of 12 shots. Yale did not score on any its five corner shots.

    At 45:09, forward Gabby Garcia ’14 broke the scoring lull when she struck a pass from back Taylor Sankovich ’12 to even the score 1–1.

    The Quakers regrouped to push the ball into Yale territory, with Yale tightly defending its half of the field. As the game approached a stasis with Sweeney blocking shots from Barnham and forward Mia Rosati ’12, forward Erica Borgo ’14 came through just in time to receive a pass from midfielder Kirsten Krebs ’12 and found an open place in the net.

    The game closed 14 minutes later in a 2-1 win.

    But two team members interviewed said the match was a struggle.

    “[The match] was definitely more the back and forth kind of game of hustle and precision,” Barnham said.

    Head Coach Pam Stuper added that the game required adjustments, but the team came out and controlled the ball.

    “We got a little frustrated,” Stuper commented on the missed potential goals, “but we realized what we could control and what adjustments we needed to make.”

  3. FIELD HOCKEY | Elis look to bust out

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    With just three conference games left in the season, the Elis are looking to break ahead in a five-way tie for first place.

    After a strong weekend of wins against Dartmouth (8–5, 3–1 Ivy) — also tied for the No. 1 Ivy ranking — and Fairfield (8–7, 0–3 Big East), the Yale field hockey team (7–6, 3–1) will travel to Philadelphia on Saturday in search of its fourth consecutive win. The Bulldogs take on the Quakers (3–10, 1–3), who lag at sixth place within the Ancient Eight.

    “We’re really excited to play another Ivy team,” forward Mia Rosati ’12 said. “A win is really important to keep us in the running for an Ivy title.”

    Yale comes into the matchup following a strong season. The team lost by only one point to No. 2 UConn on Oct. 2 and defeated Big Ten No. 24 Northwestern on Oct. 9.

    Last weekend, the Elis handed Dartmouth its first league loss of the season. The team’s 49 goals so far this season already place the Elis close to their record—55 goals per season record from 1998. Yale comes into the game against Penn with 48 assists in the season — the second-most in the team’s history.

    Individually, the team boasts some of the strongest players in Yale’s history. Team captain and back Erin Carter ’12 has notched 29 goals to rank sixth place on Yale’s career list. Midfielder Dinah Landshut ’12 ranks sixth on that list with 68 points (15 goals, 38 assists) and second on Yale’s career assist list.

    Landshut said the team focuses on the game at hand regardless of League standings.

    “The team has done a great job taking one game at a time,” Landshut said. “This is exactly the mentality with which we will enter the game on Sunday.”

    Although Penn does not immediately compete for the first place spot, the Bulldogs must clinch a win against the Quakers to defend their title in the Ancient Eight.

    Even though the Quakers have only enjoyed three wins this season, one of the team’s players has recently received distinction. Penn midfielder Alex Iqbal notched seven points in Penn’s three games last week. Her breakout performance in offense earned her Rookie of the Week honors, the first Ivy award for the Quakers since sophomore attack Julie Tahan earned it last November.

    The Bulldogs changed their practice conditions leading up to the Penn game to mimick Penn’s turf conditions.

    Rosati said Penn’s Franklin Field — where the teams will play — is bumpier than astroturf, and as a result, the ball rolls on it more slowly. She added that the team wanted to go into this game as prepared for the conditions as possible.

    “We’ve been practicing all week on field turf…because that’s what Penn plays on,” Rosati said.

    Goalkeeper Ona McConnell ’13 said the team always fights hard against Penn, but she hopes Yale’s strong record this season will work in its favor.

    The teams face off on Franklin Field Saturday at 1 p.m.

  4. FIELD HOCKEY | Elis shatter Dartmouth streak

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    Forward Jessie Accurso ’15 zoomed down the field and dived just right of the keeper to drill the tie-breaking goal in the Bulldogs’ match against Dartmouth, the Big Green’s first Ivy loss this season.

    Dartmouth’s defeat brought Yale into a five-way tie with Columbia, Dartmouth, Harvard and Princeton for first place within the Ivy League. After Dartmouth (8–5, 3–1 Ivy) scored an initial goal in the eighth minute, the Bulldogs (7–6, 3–1) dominated the rest of the match and finished with a decisive 5–1 win.

    “We didn’t want to just win by one goal, so we just kept going,” forward Mia Rosati ’12 said. “We just dominated.”

    Having beaten Princeton, to whom Yale fell 3–2 Sept. 24, Dartmouth held an upper hand going into the match. The Big Green reigned first place 3–0 in the Ancient Eight, and three of its players are the top three scorers in the Ivy League. But Yale came prepared. Leading up to Saturday’s matchup, Yale played closely contested games against nationally ranked titans such as No. 2 University of Connecticut and Big Ten powerhouse No. 17 Northwestern.

    The Bulldogs were ready for battle.

    Head coach Pam Stuper said Dartmouth’s playing style is similar to UConn’s and Northwestern’s technique.

    “We’ve taken the advantage to play just the kind of play to get ready to play a team like Dartmouth,” head coach Pam Stuper said. “Dartmouth is a very good team, but we came in prepared.”

    From the first blow of the whistle, the players clashed head-to-head to gain control of the ball. Dartmouth forward Ali Savage blasted a shot past goalkeeper Emily Cain ’14 to bring to Darthmouth onto the scoreboard before Yale. But the shot marked Dartmouth’s only goal for the rest of the game.

    Yale answered immediately and ripped through Dartmouth territory to clutch a penalty corner opportunity. Midfielder Dinah Landshut ’12 took the penalty and midfielder/back Georgia Holland ‘14 followed the play to tip the ball past a clump of Dartmouth defenders and tie the game 1–1.

    Goal keeper Ona McConnell ’13 said the team did not enter the game strong, and the first goal from Dartmouth, she said, was a “wake-up call.”

    “We showed them that we can tie them, and then we kept on going,” she said.

    With the game leveled, both teams picked up aggression, but scoring was stopped at a gridlock until the 26th minute when Accurso clinched the tie-breaking goal by diving to achieve just the right angle for a shot past Dartmouth goal keeper Megan Vakiener.

    The intensity of the game prevailed throughout the second half, with players’ throwing sticks between each other’s legs while fighting shoulder-to-shoulder fighting for possession of the ball.

    Holland blasted a hat trick to the far post to bring the score 4–1 within the opening five minutes of the second half, but 20 minutes later, Landshut was thrown down and play stopped for about two minutes. But then she surged up again and jumped right back into the action.

    Dartmouth called a timeout with 19:46 left in the game, and then advanced the ball into Yale’s half to threaten shots for the rest of the game. The Big Green took 13 shots in the second half, but none touched the back of the net. The Bulldog offense turned the game around with a steal by Borgo and eventually capitalized on a penalty corner as back/midfielder Chelsey Locarno ’12 pounded a shot to clinch the decisive 5–1 victory.

    Yale’s defense, including Carter’s powerhouse blocks and Cain’s 13 saves overall, kept even Dartmouth midfielder Kelly Hood — who led the Ivy League in goals and points (11–5–27) entering the game — completely scoreless.

    Rosati said the Yale’s victory over Big Ten Northwestern the weekend before gave the team the confidence it needed to overcome Dartmouth.

    “The winning mentality kept our energy up,” Carter added.

    The Bulldogs continued its winning streak to shut out Fairfield 6–0 Sunday. Fairfield didn’t see much offensive action as Yale denied all but four shots on goal and outshot the Stags 38–8.

    Next weekend, the Elis will defend its place atop the Ivy League rankings as it faces Penn (3–10, 1–3) in Philadelphia on Sunday.

    The Bulldogs and Quakers will face off at 1 p.m.

  5. FIELD HOCKEY | Yale in hunt for No. 1 Ivy ranking

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    After an upset victory over a top-15 team, the Yale field hockey team will seek to preserve its chances for an Ivy League title as it battles Dartmouth at Johnson Field this Saturday.

    The stakes are high since Saturday’s match is a conference game and will determine the Bulldogs’ chances for an Ivy League title.

    “Our goal this year is definitely to be Ivy Champions, and we’re still in the running for that,” goalkeeper Ona McConnell ’13 said. McConnell added the match being an Ivy match “is a big part of the game.”

    Yale (5-6, 2-1 Ivy) needs a win to jump up to at least a tie for first in the standings. For the past two years, Yale has finished just short of an Ivy title with a second-place finish.

    The team remains on track for a record-breaking offensive season this year, and the NCAA ranks Yale 13th nationally in goals per game. Individually, many Elis are among the top-ranked players in the nation. Among them is forward Erica Borgo ’14, who leads the team with ten assists, placing her 11th in the nation in assists per game.

    But the Bulldogs are gearing up for what may be their toughest challenge yet. Dartmouth (8–4, 3–0 Ivy League) remains undefeated in the Ivy League. One of its three wins includes its 3–2 decision over six-time Ancient Eight champion Princeton, to whom Yale has already dropped a close game 3-2.

    “They’re out to get us,” McConnell said. “This will definitely be a hard game.”

    Still, the Bulldogs feel confident in their preparation for their fourth Ivy League game. Yale has shown it can evenly match beat strong opponents, as seen in its games UConn and Northwestern, who were ranked No. 2 and No. 14 respectively in the nation at the time of their games.

    The team hopes to continue to challenge opponents in its upcoming game.

    “We’re ready to come out and play the way we played against Northwestern and come up with another win,” forward Mia Rosati ’12 said.

    Yale will also play a non-league game against Fairfield (8–5, 0–2 Big East) on Sunday. The Stags have lost three of their last four games, including a 3–1 loss against Ivy League rival Brown, but ranks 14th nationally in goals-against average as a team (1.44).

  6. Bulldogs defeat Northwestern

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    Yale field hockey (5–6, 2–1 Ivy League) traveled to the Midwest for the first time last weekend to take on two top 20 titans.

    This season, the Bulldogs are playing more top 20 teams than ever before in its history. Ranked 23rd in the NCAA standings, the team took on No. 13, the University of Michigan (9–3, 2–1 Big Ten), and No. 14 Northwestern (10–6, 1–3 Big Ten) over the weekend. While the Elis dropped a 7–1 loss to Michigan on Saturday, they bounced back to knock out Northwestern 3-2 Sunday afternoon — the first win Yale has marked against a top 15 team in 14 years.

    “The win against a top 15 team was a tremendous team effort and a great accomplishment for all of us,” midfielder Dinah Landshut ’12 said.

    Yale scored first against Michigan but could not defend against the Wolverines’ tenacious offense. Gabby Garcia ’14 seized an early 1–0 lead for the Bulldogs at the nine-minute mark. But the final 50 minutes marked a series of seven unanswered goals to result in a heartbreaking 7–1 loss.

    Before the end of the first half, Michigan had swept past goalkeeper Emily Cain ’14 four times. Yale outshot Michigan 7–5 in the second half, but none of Yale’s shots made it past Ann Arbor keeper Haley Jones as the Wolverines blasted three more goals to capture the win.

    Overall, Michigan outshot Yale 14–9 and held a 7–3 penalty-corner advantage. Cain finished with four saves.

    The Northwestern game was a different story. The Bulldogs regrouped from their defeat and impressed the crowd with a win against Northwestern ­— a team known for nationally ranked top scorer Chelsea Armstrong, who was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year last season.

    Although Yale and Northwestern clashed head-to-head the entire game, forward Mia Rosati ’12 said the team did not allow the loss against Michigan to affect its play.

    The Wildcats started the game by muscling two shots toward the goal, but neither could score for 20 minutes. But at the 20-minute mark, the Bulldogs broke the stalemate. Mary Beth Barham ’13 sent a shot on net, which forward Jessie Accurso ’15 redirected to Rosati. Rosati converted for her seventh goal of the season.

    The Bulldogs took a 1–0 lead, but Northwestern forward/midfielder Nikki Parsley rocketed a shot to tie the game just after halftime.

    Ten minutes later, back Taylor Sankovich ’12 converted a corner opportunity to score and bring the Elis again into the lead, and three minutes later Erin Carter ’12 secured this lead with a corner shot.

    The Wildcats fought back. Armstong pointed six shots towards the goal, but only one passed Yale’s tight defense, and Northwestern came up a goal short.

    “Sunday was a great comeback from a tough loss against Michigan,” Landshut said.

    Ona McConnell ’13 added that the team had prepared well in practice this past week for their trip to the Midwest.

    Head coach Pam Stuper said in a press release the win was an “incredible team effort, and everybody followed the game plan.”

    Four of the team’s six losses this season have been against teams currently ranked top 15 in the country. In two of these games ­­— against No. 4 UConn and No. 10 Albany — Yale fell short by just one goal.

    The Bulldogs will take on Dartmouth on Saturday.

  7. FIELD HOCKEY | Bulldogs fall to Tigers in close contest

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    After its first Ivy League win against Harvard last weekend, the field hockey team fell 3–2 to Princeton as the Bulldogs were unable to come back from a late 3–1 deficit.

    Saturday’s game opened with both a challenge and an opportunity for Yale (3–4, 1–1). Princeton (3–3, 1–1) had not lost an Ivy League game for the past four years, but Yale players still said they would have a good shot at winning — not only had the Tigers lost the past three games, but they were still missing a number of star players who are currently with the U.S. national team.

    “We definitely had a chance,” goalie Ona McConnell ’13 said. “Princeton always has a strong team, but this year they actually had a weak team. [With our level of talent] we definitely should’ve won.”

    The game was anything but easy and both sides shot aggressively. Yale’s defense tightly guarded its post, with goalie Emily Cain ’14 saving six shots overall.

    The first goal came at the end of the opening half from Princeton midfielder Allison Behringer. But the Bulldogs bounced back less than two minutes later, with forward Jessie Accurso’s ’15 blast — the first goal of her collegiate career — that evened the game at 1–1.

    Just when it seemed as though both teams would leave halftime deadlocked, Princeton’s back/midfielder Sydney Kirby scored a goal to break the tie. She would score another in the 57th minute, with what turned out to be the game-winner.

    The second half provided more offensive chances for the Bulldogs, including three penalty corners. With assists by back/midfielder Chelsey Locarno ’12 and forward Erica Borgo ’14, back Erin Carter ’12 converted one of these corners with just three minutes left in the game.

    The goal brought up Yale within one against the Tigers, but Carter’s goal would be the last of the game, as forward Gabby Garcia’s ’14 shot would mark Princeton goalie Christina Maida’s final save and sealed the win for the Tigers.

    “[The reason we lost] had to do with our mentality,” McConnell said. “The match was more a mental game than a field hockey game.”

    Looking forward to the rest of the season, midfield Dinah Landshut ’12 said that the Bulldogs have to concentrate more on themselves than their opponent.

    “This weekend we were not able to control the game against a good opponent,” she said. “We need to have a more of ‘one game at a time’ mentality … We will be focusing on playing our game regardless of who we play, where and what the circumstances are.”

    With both now 1–1 in the Ivy League, Princeton and Yale are in a four-way tie for third behind Columbia and Dartmouth.

    Next weekend, the Yale field hockey team will face Cornell and Connecticut in home games on Saturday and Sunday.

  8. FIELD HOCKEY | Elis to meet defending champs

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    After commanding wins against Sacred Heart and rival Harvard, the field hockey team is gearing up for what may be its toughest challenge yet: a six-time defending champion Princeton team.

    Still, the Bulldogs (3–3) are feeling confident in preparation for their second Ivy League game on Saturday, Mia Rosati ’12 said. Although the Tigers (2–4) were undefeated for the past four years in the Ancient Eight entering last Saturday’s opener against Dartmouth, they suffered a 2–1 loss, and showed a clear defensive weakness that the offense-oriented Yale team will look to exploit.

    “We’re trying not to focus on the fact that Princeton lost, but we’re really excited to play them,” Rosati said. “We’re ready to kick their butts.”

    Rosati and captain Erin Carter ’12 have started the year strong, leading the Bulldogs to an impressive 4.17 goals per game, which ranks sixth in the country. Carter leads the team with 13 points, and is tied with Rosati for five goals.

    But the Bulldog’s offensive dominance is not only the work of two people: of 16 field players, 12 have already recorded points.

    This teamwork will match up well against Princeton, especially after the Tigers redshirted several key defensive players for the U.S. national team.

    “In the past few years they’ve had some decisive wins,” Rosati said. “But in the absence of these girls on the Olympic team, we’re more evenly matched.”

    Rosati said she is confident in the team’s ability to perform over the rest of the season, adding that she hoped she would follow her pattern from past years and continue to get better throughout the fall.

    “I tend to do better at the end of the seasons, so things are looking good,” said Rosati, who has already scored as many goals this season as all of last year.

    Princeton’s other three losses this year have come from Syracuse, American and Richmond. Yale lost its first two games to Stanford and Quinnipiac, and fell to Albany in its fourth game after blowing a 3–1 lead.

    Last weekend, Yale confidently beat Harvard 5–1, and easily dispatched Sacred Heart in a 9–1 blowout.

    The Bulldogs are fifth in the country for assists per game with 3.33, and penalty corners per game with 10.5. The team has scored 25 goals off of 139 shots this season.

    Saturday’s game is scheduled for noon at Princeton’s Class of ’52 Stadium.

  9. FIELD HOCKEY | Offense comes alive in weekend sweep

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    It was a good weekend for the field hockey team, who made a statement in its Ivy opener against Harvard and followed it up with an even more decisive victory over Sacred Heart the next day.

    After three close losses in their first four games of the season, the Bulldogs (3-3) returned home in fine form, defeating Harvard (2-2) 5–1, and continuing the streak the following day with a dominant 9–1 victory over Sacred Heart (2-5) at Johnson Field.

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    “It’s a great testament to all the work we’ve put in,” Mia Rosati ’12 said. “We’re really excited to go play the rest of this season and keep up the winning streak.”

    Saturday’s game against Harvard inaugurated this year’s Ivy League season. The Bulldogs surged to an immediate lead, with Erica Borgo ’14 scoring the first goal, and Emily Schuckert ’14 following with two goals of her own, leaving the score going into the half at 3–0.

    Yale continued its aggressive tactics in the second half; five minutes in, the Bulldogs’ Maddy Sharp ’13 scored again, quickly followed by goal by Rosati, putting Yale up 5–0. Harvard’s Carly Dickson managed to bury one goal in the last few minutes of the game, but it was too late; the Bulldogs had won an indisputable victory over their rivals, with goalie Emily Cain ’14 not having to make a save until the final three minutes of action, and goalie Heather Schlesier ’15 finishing her first game with two saves. Yale outshot the Crimson 36–7.

    “One of our goals this year is to be Ivy League champions,” said Taylor Sankovich ’12. “It was important to use this game to show the league we are serious and we are out to win.”

    The Elis continued to dominate the field the following day against Sacred Heart, with seven different players landing on the scoresheet.

    “We just wanted to focus on playing our best and doing what we know we can do,” Ona McConnell ’13 said. “We had to make sure we played the full 70 minutes.”

    Dinah Landshut ’12 seized an early lead for the Eli’s six minutes into the game. Though Sacred Heart stymied Bulldog action for the next fifteen minutes, the team regained momentum, with Rosati corralling Mary Beth Barhams’s ’13 blocked shot back into the net for Yale’s second point. Five minutes later, Kristen Krebs ’12 scored her first goal of the season, and Sankovich scored two goals off of penalty shots, one before, and one after halftime. It was 4–0 at halftime.

    In the second half, Rosati scored her second goal of the game, immediately followed by one from Gabby Garcia ’14, her first career goal. Captain Erin Carter ’12 scored on a penalty shot, and Barham capped off the Bulldogs’ scoring, leaving the score 9–0 61:04 minutes into the game.

    With less than three minutes remaining, Sacred Heart’s Leah Salindong scored, making the final score 9–1.

    “It was definitely really good for us to know that we can just go out there and play our game and be successful with it,” Landshut said. “Once we trust ourselves and do what we know we are good at, we can be successful.”

    The Bulldogs will next play an away game at Princeton on Saturday at noon.

  10. FIELD HOCKEY | Harvard up next for Elis

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    The Yale field hockey team (1–3) will play its first conference game of the season this weekend, when it faces Harvard (2–1) on Saturday, followed by a match on Sunday against Sacred Heart (2–4).

    The Bulldogs are eager for a fresh start to the season against one of their greatest foes, forward Mia Rosati ’12 said. She added that it is the team’s goal to win the Ivy League championship, and a win against Harvard would be an important first step, as the Ivy League champion is determined by the team’s total number of conference wins.

    Rosati, who scored against Hofstra last weekend, said the team has been working on fundamentals in order to prepare for the weekend.

    “We’re making sure we do what we need to do to get it done,” Rosati said. “That’s sort of what we’ve been lacking — finishing in the circle and keeping our lead.”

    Last weekend, the Bulldogs went 1–1, suffering a loss against Albany in overtime after blowing a 3–1 lead with 12 minutes remaining in the game.

    Harvard is 2–1 for the season and coming off a 0–3 loss against Massachusetts last weekend.

    Forward and midfielder Mary Beth Barham ’13 said that the Bulldogs have been preparing to face a Harvard offense that is especially good at drag flicking, or launching the ball on corners into the net. But she added that Yale is determined to play its own game.

    “It’s more about playing our game than adjusting for their game at this point,” Barham said.

    Sacred Heart is 2–4 on the season. Taylor Sankovich ’12 said she expects the Pioneers to be good competition. Last Sunday they won a game against the Holy Cross Crusaders, 5-4. Sarah Bergman and Kate Boyd lead the Sacred Heart in goals with three each.

    Rosati said that Yale has traditionally beaten both teams, but the Bulldogs are not taking that success for granted. Since Harvard is the first conference game for the Elis, Rosati said they are eager prove themselves.

    Yale will play Harvard at 1 p.m. on Saturday followed by a Sunday match against Sacred Heart at 2 p.m.

  11. FIELD HOCKEY | Field hockey team goes 1–1 over weekend

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    The field hockey team was less than eight minutes away from a weekend sweep, but a late surge from No. 16 Albany Great Danes prevented the Bulldogs from moving to .500.

    The Elis (1–3) won 5–3 at Hofstra (3–4) on Saturday before falling 4–3 in overtime at Albany (4–2) on Sunday. Five different Bulldogs hit the net at Hofstra to give the Bulldogs their first win of the season. On Sunday, despite leading 3–1 with just over 12 minutes to play, the Bulldogs could not hold on as Albany’s Corrine McConville scored the tying goal with less than two minutes remaining.

    After losses to Stanford and Quinnipiac a week ago, the Elis came into the weekend still looking for their first win of the season. Against Hofstra, Yale got off to a fast start, scoring the game’s first four goals. Forward Mia Rosati ’12 tallied four minutes into the game while midfielder Dinah Landshut ’12 deflected one in at the 29-minute mark.

    “I liked our start,” Yale head coach Pam Stuper said in a press release. “I thought we got out there and played a nice passing game. We were tenacious and really aggressive, and that was the reason for that first goal.”

    The Bulldogs came out firing after halftime as midfielder Georgia Holland ’14 scored one minute into the second to put the Bulldogs up 3–0. An Erin Carter ’12 goal was countered by two from Hofstra, but forward Erica Borgo ’14 sealed the Elis win with a goal in the 55th minute.

    “I think the win proved that we can win,” Carter said. “The first weekend was pretty disappointing. We came into this weekend thinking that we need to prove ourselves.”

    Goalkeeper Emily Cain ’14 stopped 10 Hofstra shots en route to the win.

    Sunday, the Bulldogs took on ranked Albany, looking to move to .500 for the first time this season. Carter struck first with a straight shot for a goal in the 10th minute. McConville evened things up 16-and-a -half minutes in, and the score at the half was 1–1.

    But the Bulldogs came out firing in the second half as Landshut scored less than five minutes into the new period. Carter extended the lead on a penalty stroke with less than 20 minutes remaining. However, Cain and the Bulldogs defense could not prevent the Great Danes from roaring back into contention. Albany midfielder Daphne Voormolen closed the gap six minutes after Carter’s goal, and McConville tied the game at three with 1:43 left to play.

    “I think it was a combination of getting comfortable with having the lead,” Carter said of allowing Albany back into the game. “Maybe that made us let up. Once they scored, our attitudes got a bit low.”

    Six minutes and 27 seconds into overtime, Albany’s Christina Patrick bested Cain to seal the 4–3 comeback win. Cain walked away with 11 saves on 15 chances.

    Next weekend, the Bulldogs host Harvard Saturday at 1:00 p.m. before a Sunday home matchup with Sacred Heart at noon.