Sam Rubin
The Yale field hockey team suffered its fifth consecutive one-goal loss after falling 2–1 to No. 24 Cornell at Johnson Field on Saturday.
Yale (2–8, 0–3 Ivy) faced off against Cornell (6–2, 2–1) on Saturday in what was a closely contested game. After a scoreless first quarter, the Big Red broke through early in the second quarter, sending a close-range shot past Bulldog goalkeeper Sydney Terroso ’21. However, the Elis tied the score before halftime when forward Olivia Levieux ’21 sent a remarkable shot into the top right corner. With just seven seconds left in the third quarter, Cornell scored again in what proved to be the deciding goal of the contest.
“We were happy with our performance again, we just need a better conversion rate in the circle,” midfielder Imogen Davies ’21 said. “We actually did perform well though and were unlucky to have a few disallowed goals.”
Throughout the first quarter, Cornell had better chances. With five shots in comparison to the Bulldogs’ zero, the Big Red put immediate pressure on Terroso, who tallied three saves in the first quarter alone. Cornell finally converted on an opportunity in one of the second quarter’s opening plays when midfielder Taylor Gladd made a baseline drive and found forward Claire Jones open in front of goal. Jones, who was only a few feet away, had no problem sending the shot around Terroso.
Despite the setback, the Elis put together a much more complete second quarter. Outshooting Cornell six to four, Yale looked to be the better team throughout much of the period. Winning five corners in the second quarter alone, the Bulldogs put constant pressure on the Big Red’s defensive unit.
With a minute left before halftime, captain Bridget Condie ’20 earned a penalty corner for the Bulldogs. On the corner, Davies played the insertion to midfielder Alissa Wong ’22, who set Levieux up for a shot. Although her first attempt was blocked, Levieux deftly pursued the rebound and sent a highlight-worthy shot straight into the top right corner.
“We have been training our corners really hard and focusing in practice on executing them with the same intensity and seriousness that we would in a game,” Levieux said. “I think that’s been a real game changer in their success.”
Entering the third quarter tied at 1–1, the Elis continued to apply pressure on the Cornell defense. Six minutes into the period, Yale scored off of another penalty corner, but the goal was disallowed by the referee because of a dangerous shot. Just before the end of the quarter, Jones finished a corner for the Big Red — her second goal of the game. Jones’ shot deflected off of a Yale defender, making it nearly impossible for Terosso to save.
In the final period, Yale continued to put pressure on Cornell, tallying three shots on goal compared to Cornell’s zero. With five minutes remaining in the contest, another penalty corner goal by the Elis was called back after two players got tangled up in the shooting circle. Two minutes later, Condie had the final promising chance of the game, but her shot was turned away by Cornell netminder Maddie Henry.
Although the Bulldogs’ record is not particularly impressive, it does not reflect the story of their season thus far. Yale’s season has been marked by close games against ranked teams such as No. 15 Liberty, No. 13 Harvard and No. 7 Princeton. The Elis clearly have the talent needed to compete against the nation’s top programs, but are consistently falling just short. Yale has an opportunity to change this narrative as it hosts Bucknell on Monday at Johnson Field.
“We are preparing to take on Bucknell as a team — and that means holding each other accountable to give the best effort one can, working hard with a purpose and executing the game plan,” defender Katie Pieterse ’22 said. “We know it’s going to take all 22 of us to come up with
the win.”
The Elis’ game against Bucknell will be streamed live on ESPN+.
Drew Beckmen | drew.beckmen@yale.edu