FIELD HOCKEY: Bulldogs take down Colgate, fall in double overtime to Wagner
In its second homestand of the season, Yale shut out Colgate 2–0 before losing in double overtime against Wagner.
Lukas Flippo, Photo Editor
Coming off an overtime loss to Lafayette, the Yale field hockey team split its weekend matches with a shutout against Colgate (0–4, 0–0 Patriot) and a double-overtime loss to Wagner (1–5, 0–0 NEC).
In their third home game of the season, the Bulldogs defeated the Raiders by a score of 2–0 with the help of their veteran midfielders. After being outshot by their opponents in its previous two contests, the Yale offense came alive against Colgate, and the shutout victory ended with shots 29–10 in favor of the Blue and White. Midfielder Alissa Wong ’23 opened the scoring with a goal off her own rebound in the second period before midfielder Iliana Cabral ’22 took advantage of Yale’s sustained momentum and netted the final goal in the third.
In Sunday’s match with Wagner, the Bulldogs were able to find their rhythm early on. Two consecutive goals put Yale up midway through the third period, but the Seahawks managed to claw their way back into the game and send the contest into double overtime. Ultimately, Wagner was able to knock in the game-winning goal.
“It was a tough loss today,” back Katie Pieterse ’23 told the News after Yale’s loss to Wagner. “We’ve been playing a great team game, so I have confidence our offensive chances will get results if we keep pushing.”
In the first game of its second homestand, Yale quickly asserted dominance over the Colgate squad. The Raiders struggled to find scoring opportunities in the first period, as pressure from the Bulldogs held them shotless. With 11 shots and four penalty corners going into the second period, the Blue and White were itching to bury one of their many chances. Twenty-six minutes into the game, Wong capitalized on her own rebound and put Yale on the scoreboard.
Less than 10 minutes after Wong netted what would be the game-winning goal, Cabral recorded her first goal of the season on a penalty corner.
In addition to Yale’s commanding offense, starting goaltender Luanna Summer ’24 played an important role in blanking Colgate. After a full 60 minutes, Summer had saved eight shots.
Following the victory, Yale field hockey head coach Pam Stuper applauded her squad for its ability to put into practice all of the skills they had been refining over the past few weeks.
“This season we have definitely worked on possession in the circle, moving around to get free and having balance in the circle,” Stuper told Yale Athletics. “It’s starting to come together. Our depth is the best it’s been in a long time, and that allows us different looks — taking advantage of players that are hot and playing a faster game with more subs.”
Sunday afternoon’s match against Wagner started off on the right foot for the Bulldogs. Only seven minutes after the opening whistle, forward/midfielder Kelly Dolan ’22 notched her second goal of the season off an assist from midfielder Théodora Dillman ’23.
With about 23 minutes left in regulation, Dillman buried a goal of her own before the Seahawks cut into Yale’s lead two minutes later. Wagner continued to counter Yale’s offense, as forward/midfielder Sara Nelson evened up the score shortly before the end of the third period.
A scoreless final frame sent the match into overtime. Despite outshooting Wagner 6–1 in the first overtime, the Bulldogs could not manage to close out the game with a win. Three minutes into the second overtime, senior forward/midfielder Julia Cruces Pastorino clinched the victory for the Seahawks.
Despite their loss, the Bulldogs still outshot Wagner 23–18. When asked about the biggest takeaways from the weekend, captain and midfielder Imogen Davies ’23 told the News that the Bulldogs needed to take chances early in the game.
“We are doing an awesome job creating so many opportunities but are not converting the percentage we would hope,” Davies wrote to the News. “I think we are really happy with the win on Saturday and we are so excited for Ivy play to start on Saturday!”
Yale will return to Johnson Field this Saturday to face off against Brown in its first Ivy League matchup of the season.