NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A hard-fought battle at Reese Stadium Saturday afternoon ended in favor of the Yale women's lacrosse team, 6-5 over Brown, thanks in large part to a dominant performance on draw controls and a defense that limited the Bears to just 13 shots. Senior attacker Nicole Daniggelis led the way with nine draws, helping the Bulldogs to a 10-3 advantage in that category in a game where every possession proved crucial. Junior attacker Tess McEvoy scored four goals -- including the one with 13:20 left in the second half that gave the Bulldogs the cushion they needed to secure their first Ivy League win of the year.

"This was a total team win, for all 32 players on the roster," said Erica LaGrow, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. "Give credit to Brown; they took us out of our game plan at times. But that's why we practice and why we prepare. I'm really proud of this team for fighting through adversity and coming away with a win. We had a tough week of practice, competed hard, and that's what they showed in the game. Everybody had an impact on today's game, whether they were on the sideline or on the field."

Yale (4-4, 1-1 Ivy League) had shot .500 or better in four straight games heading into Saturday, but something had to give -- Brown had limited its opponents to a .350 shooting percentage in the first six games. After an early Bears goal, though, the Yale attack methodically built up a lead throughout the first half. McEvoy got things started with a free position goal at 26:47, and four minutes later senior midfielder Lauren Wackerle gave Yale a 2-1 lead. Three minutes after that, McEvoy scored off an assist by sophomore midfielder Lily Smith, prompting a timeout by Brown.

Nearly 10 minutes then passed without a goal by either team, but McEvoy scored again at 9:41 to make it 4-1. After sophomore goalkeeper Sydney Marks made a big save on Brown midfielder Kerianne Hunt with 5:30 to play, junior attacker Hope Hanley set up sophomore attacker Kiwi Comizio for a goal that made it 5-1 Yale heading into halftime.

Having outshot Brown 12-6 in the first half, and with a four-goal lead, Yale appeared to be in control. But Brown (4-3, 0-2 Ivy League) would not go away quietly. After going more than 30 minutes without a goal, the Bears scored three times in a span of just over five minutes early in the second. Two of those goals came from attacker Lauren Toy, and the second pulled Brown within 5-4 with 21:27 left.

The Bulldogs called time, but Brown still wound up with a pair of chances to tie the game. The first ended with a turnover caused by junior defender Victoria Moore, and the second ended with Marks denying a shot by attacker/midfielder Emma Dahle. Right after that, McEvoy drove in for a goal that proved critical, giving Yale a 6-4 lead with 13:20 remaining.

"So many things led up to that goal," said LaGrow. "Our team cleared the ball, and the other six players on attack kept their defenders occupied. Tess has a knack for getting to the cage, and you could just tell she really wanted that goal."

Brown was able to get right back within a goal as attacker/midfielder Hafsa Moinuddin scored on a free position with 10:48 to play, but after that the Yale defense took control -- particularly after an apparent goal by Smith with five minutes left was waved off due to an illegal stick. The Bears' best chance to tie came with four minutes left, but Marks denied a shot by Toy and the Bulldogs cleared. A shot by Comizio hit the post with 2:25 to play, but Brown's ensuing possession ended with a turnover and Moore nabbed the ground ball.

There was one final scary moment for the Bulldogs, but Smith saved her team from a potential turnover with 30 seconds left by hustling to grab a loose ball just outside the Brown zone after it had been knocked away from a Yale attacker.

"Those are the things that we expect out of our players," said LaGrow. "That one in particular came at a clutch moment. Those are the things that Lily does well, and we work on -- make sure we compete on every play."

One of the keys to holding off the Bears' rally in the second was the fact that Yale won all six draws in the half -- all by Daniggelis, who now has 38 more draws than any other player in the league this season.

"Nicole does a great job," said LaGrow. "She is a phenomenal asset to have on the draw, and she has worked really hard at it."

Marks finished with five saves, while Brown's Victoria Holland made four.

Yale hosts Columbia next Saturday.

Report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity