Julia Weiser, CC’10, led Yale to victory, but just barely. Courtesy YSP

Last weekend, the Yale field hockey team was victorious in its debut Ivy League conference game of the 2009 season against arch-rival, the Harvard Crimson. After a strong first half that ended 4-0 in Yale’s favor, the Bulldogs allowed Harvard to shut them out in the second half with three goals. But even this poor second-half showing was not enough to erase the first half’s gains. Harvard lost. Yale won.

In Ivy League field hockey, no end-of-season tournament decides the league champion. Thus, in-league games are particularly tough and high pressure. Additionally, playing against Harvard—as for any team at Yale—is wrought with emotion. However, the Elis used this emotion to their advantage in the first half. “The rivalry just got us really fired up. It worked for us,” said forward Ashley McCauley, ES ’10, a unanimous choice for the 2008 All-Ivy League first team. This fire brought out field hockey’s best performance so far this season, connecting the players as a team on both offense and defense—at least in the first half.

Marissa Waldemore, CC ’11, helped the Bulldogs off to a blazing start, scoring goal number one only five minutes into the game. In the first half, the Elis made near perfect runs and passes, refusing to give up the ball to Harvard. “There was this one play, where it looked like every single player touched the ball. It went around the field quickly, and we played like clockwork,” said goalkeeper Charlotte Goins, DC ’10, whose career save percentage is .815. For the remainder of the first half, Yale stayed mostly on the offensive, keeping the pressure on the Crimson. Head Coach Pamela Stuper said the fourth goal, scored by McCauley, was the highlight of an exceptional first half, as it allowed the Elis to end with a huge lead.

After such an amazing performance, Yale expected to continue the streak of goals within the first minutes of the second half. When that did not happen, the team could not regain the momentum of the first half. “In the second half, we came out a little flat, and our fundamentals weren’t as strong. I think Harvard took advantage of the increased opportunities they had to score,” said Coach Stuper. Although the Bulldogs did not make any major mistakes, their shakiness left holes open for the Crimson, allowing Harvard further into Yale’s scoring zone. After letting in the first goal, the Elis were unable to regroup and adjust their defense to prevent Harvard’s next two goals. The team dwelled on lost glory, and Harvard stayed longer on offense.

While Harvard capitalized on the opportunities the Bulldogs gave defensively, Yale seemed unable to do the same. “Our biggest frustration was that our shots wouldn’t seem to fall in the second half. We had a lot of great opportunities in the scoring circle, and a lot of shots that went just inches wide of the goal. It would have been nice to have extended our lead even further,” said Captain Julia Weiser, CC ’10. During the second half, Yale attempted nine shots but failed to score once, while the Crimsons scored in all three attempts, scoring the last goal in the last minute of the game.

“It was a disappointing way to end,” said midfielder Katie Cantore, TD ’10, who made Second Team All-Ivy in 2008. “We all wish that we didn’t give up any goals. We could have put ourselves in the position for a total upset. Still, it is important that we came up with a win.” In the past few years, the Yale-Harvard field hockey game has also been decided by one point, such as last year, when Harvard beat Yale 1-0. Although the Elis had hoped for a more decisive win, they recognize Harvard as a strong opponent to have defeated.

This victory is the perfect lead-in to Yale’s next game, this Sat., Sept. 26, against an even tougher team: Princeton, currently ranked No. 11 in the nation. While Princeton may have extremely skilled players, the Bulldogs are optimistic. The athletes learned from the Harvard game that they are capable of making their game plans work if they can just keep up their confidence. “We’re as confident as we’ve ever been, playing as the underdog. I think the girls have a healthy confidence with their wins, knowing that they’re up against a tough opponent,” said Coach Stuper. To the Yale team, Princeton is beatable. As long as the Elis play like they did in the first half of the Harvard game, Princeton will go down in flames. If they repeat the second half, woe is Yale. Goins seems determined for a repeat of their first-half this Saturday, saying, “We’ve been training our whole lives. We always talked about being the best. It’s time we stopped talking and just be the best.”

By Hanjing Cao