FIELD HOCKEY: The Blue and White sweep weekend in pair of comeback wins
For the first time this season, the Yale field hockey team posted a 2-0 weekend with comeback wins against Brown and Drexel.
Lukas Flippo, Senior Photographer
The Yale field hockey team (4-3, 1-0 Ivy) secured a come-from-behind victory in their Ivy League opener against Brown (3-4, 0-1 Ivy) before defeating Drexel (3-7, 0-0 CAA) to secure its first weekend sweep of the season.
Coming off a tough double-overtime loss to Wagner (3-5, 0-0 NEC) in their previous contest, the Bulldogs rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Bears. Despite falling behind 10 minutes after the opening whistle, the Blue and White were able to reignite their offensive pressure in the second half. After a game-tying goal was netted in the third, midfielder Theodora Dillman ’23 lifted Yale to victory four minutes before the end of regulation.
In their meeting with Drexel on Sunday afternoon, the Bulldogs’ opponents once again took an early lead. After the Dragons put two on the scoreboard, the Elis quickly tied the game with two consecutive goals in the third period. A goal by Drexel’s Shannon Tringola momentarily reestablished the Dragons’ lead before Yale sealed the match in the fourth period with two goals in under two minutes.
“We’re just buzzing,” senior midfielder Sarah King ’22 told the News. “It’s huge to get our first Ivy win, but just to come out solid on the weekend with 2-0 … it just kind of showed that we have it in us to come out on top.”
While Yale had outshot both Colgate and Wagner in its last weekend series, the Bulldogs’ offense ran into difficulties in its first half against Brown. The Bears outshot Yale 5-2 in the first period, as Brown’s leading goal scorer Danielle van Rootselaar gave the Bears a 1-0 lead.
After a scoreless second period, the Bulldogs still found themselves outshot 4-5. However, Yale’s offense quickly found life in the second half. Twelve minutes into the third period, forward Ellie Barlow ’25 evened up the score with a deflection from a penalty corner.
As the conclusion of regulation approached, Dillman buried the game-winning goal on another penalty corner with four minutes left in the contest.
After its first conference victory, Yale field hockey head coach Pam Stuper applauded the team for their resilience and effort.
“It took the effort of the entire team, even though we are a little banged up and had to make some adjustments right before the game,” Stuper told Yale Athletics. “Everyone stepped up.”
In their matinee match on Sunday against Drexel, the Blue and White found themselves trying to play catch-up early on. Following a goal by back Puk Thewessen, a second goal by the Dragons three minutes into the second period cushioned their lead.
Less than two minutes after the half, senior forward and midfielder Kelly Dolan ’22 knocked in a goal and opened the floodgates for the Bulldogs. Shortly after assisting on Dolan’s goal, forward Lena Ansari ’24 tied the contest.
While the Dragons responded with a goal of their own in the third period, back-to-back penalty corners by Ansari and captain Imogen Davies ’22 clinched a home win for the Blue and White.
Following Yale’s win over Brown, King told the News that the Bulldogs hope to keep up their positive momentum and successful executions on goal as they take on Princeton and Quinnipiac on Friday and Sunday, respectively.
The Blue and White will face Princeton in their second conference matchup this Friday at 5 p.m.