Yale Athletics

Yale’s field hockey team (8–7, 2–3 Ivy) earned a gripping overtime Ivy League win this weekend.

The Blue and White beat the University of Pennsylvania (4–9, 2–3 Ivy) in their Oct. 22 senior night game at Johnson Field.

“The toughest part about competition this weekend was being able to sustain pressure against UPenn all the way into overtime,” Julia Freedman ’25 said. “They scored first, which is always tough to come back from, but it was a game of stamina and we had to trust that if we kept pushing, the goals would come.”

The Quakers scored the first goal of the game off of a penalty corner 13 minutes into the first period. After an intense, goalless second period, Alissa Wong ’23 scored the first goal of the game for the Bulldogs and the first goal of her senior season. After goals from Lily Ramsey ’25 and Ellie Barlow ’25, the Bulldogs clinched the win 3–2 in overtime play. 

Two minutes after Wong’s goal, Ramsey landed another shot in the net, putting the Bulldogs ahead of the Quakers 2-1. A minute and a half into the fourth period, the Quakers tied the score, sending the game into overtime. 

Four and a half minutes into overtime, Barlow scored the winning goal off of a penalty corner for the Bulldogs. Barlow’s winning goal was also her fourth goal of her sophomore season. 

“Throughout the season there has been some doubt in our ability to perform as a team when it matters,” Barlow wrote to the News. “We know we are capable, but sometimes we fall short when we know we could have done better. After this win against a ranked team (first in five years) I think that we should have confidence going forward that we can continue to perform against strong teams.” 

The win also serves as a milestone for the Bulldogs, who have not beaten No. 33 Penn since 2016. By the end of the game, the Quakers had ten shots while the Bulldogs had 17 shots. UPenn had five shots on net to the Blue and White’s 12. 

The game also celebrated seniors Théodora Dillman ’23, Laine Garber ’23, April Kim ’23, Katie Pieterse ’23 and Wong for their dedication as Bulldogs.

With two games left in the season, Princeton University leads the Ancient Eight standings, followed by Harvard University, Cornell University, Columbia University and Yale. Looking ahead, the Bulldogs will compete against Dartmouth College and Cornell University to wrap up their 2022 season. 

“I’m most looking forward to continuing to establish ourselves within the Ivy League and keep up the momentum from last [week’s] win,” said Ramsey. 

The Bulldogs will take on Dartmouth as their next opponent in Hanover on Saturday.