Bulldogs Deny Stags' Upset Bid
FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Upset-minded Fairfield
began celebrating as what appeared to be the game-tying goal headed
towards the goal line with just over 11 minutes left Sunday
afternoon at University Field. The Stags had hung tough against the
Bulldogs all game long, and Marit Westenberg's shot on the
only Fairfield penalty corner of the game was behind the Yale
goalkeeper and on its way in to knot the game 2-2 -- until freshman
midfielder/back Georgia Holland made the play of
the game. Holland lunged forward and got to the ball in the air
just before it crossed, winding up in the cage herself but keeping
the ball out. The game-saving effort proved vital in Yale's
2-1 win.
Holland has been one of Yale's top offensive players all
season, but with injuries shuffling Yale's backfield lineup
she has been called upon to take up more of the defensive workload
of late.
Plays like the one she made against the Stags are the reason
why. Holland has become like an extra goalie on the field at times,
and had four defensive saves in the six games prior to Sunday.
"Georgia has brought her 'A Game' every day,
whether it's in the backfield of the midfield," said
head coach Pam Stuper. "We know we can count on her to make a
big play when we need it. She brings a great mentality and game
sense. We were only up 2-1 when she made that save, and we were
under a lot of pressure. She made sure it stayed 2-1."
Yale (10-5) was coming off a 10-0 win over Penn on Saturday, but
the much-improved Stags provided a challenge. Fairfield (8-10) has
already won twice as many games this season as it had in the three
previous seasons combined. The Bulldogs held an 8-1 advantage in
shots for the first half, but scored just twice.
Junior midfielder Dinah Landshut set up the
first goal at 24:00, driving in from the left side and beating two
defenders simultaneously before feeding sophomore
forward/midfielder Mary Beth Barham. Barham got
Fairfield keeper Maddy Sposito down and out of position before
tapping in her fourth goal of the season.
That was Landshut's 14th assist, moving her
within two of the school single-season record set last year by
Katie Cantore '10. Landshut is also now all alone in third
place on Yale's career assist list with 27.
"Dinah had another great game," said Stuper.
"She did an outstanding job staying poised under pressure.
Fairfield was really collapsing on her, but she broke through the
defense and generated some good attack."
Fairfield answered with Westenberg lining one in from the top of
the circle at 32:23. But the Stags had just over a minute to
celebrate before Yale was back on the scoreboard, as freshman
forward Erica Borgo set up senior forward
Johna Paolino in front for a goal at 33:25. Borgo
has now taken over the team lead in points (6-7-19).
The score remained that way in a second half that saw Fairfield
outshoot Yale 6-3. Even after Holland's game-saving stop, the
Stags kept up the pressure. With 3:18 left Fairfield pulled Sposito
in favor of a kicking back, and the extra field player enabled the
Stags to pin the Bulldogs in their own end for much of the
game's final moments. But Holland made a diving tackle in the
circle with a minute to go, and sophomore back Lexy
Adams followed that up by breaking up another Fairfield
run. Landshut used an aerial to get the ball out to midfield for
the final seconds, where the clock ran out as the Stags were trying
to get the ball back into Yale's circle.
"Fairfield played us tough," Stuper said.
"They applied a lot of pressure, and we got back on our heels
a little bit. The big thing that we didn't do today was
finish."
Still, the Bulldogs came away with the win, and have now
achieved back-to-back double-digit win seasons for the first time
since 2002-03. With two games left they remain within striking
distance of the school record for wins in Ivy League play (six),
and 12 wins would tie for third-most in school history.
Yale's two goals Sunday give the Bulldogs 47 for the season,
putting the first back-to-back 50-goal seasons in Yale history
within reach. Yale scored 51 goals last year, and the school record
is 55 (1998).
Yale hosts Columbia next Saturday, Senior Day at Johnson Field.
The Bulldogs will honor goalkeeper Katie Bolling,
forward Erica Cullum, forward Johna
Paolino and back Marissa Waldemore.
Every goal Yale scores this season brings the world closer
to a cure for myotonic dystrophy. Sophomore goalkeeper Ona
McConnell (London, England)
has been diagnosed with the disease, the most common form of
muscular dystrophy. The Bulldogs are taking pledges for a
season-long "Goal-a-thon" as part of their "Get a Grip" campaign to
raise awareness and funds for the Myotonic Dystrophy Foundation.
For more information, visit http://www.yalebulldogs.com/getagrip
Report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu),
Yale Sports Publicity
