NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Following a lopsided 6-0 Ivy League win vs. Dartmouth Saturday, the Yale field hockey team found itself locked in a much closer battle Sunday afternoon at local rival Quinnipiac. After falling behind 1-0 on a Bobcats penalty corner goal right before halftime, the Bulldogs tied the game in the third on a goal by junior forward/midfielder
Olivia Levieux. After a save by junior goalkeeper
Sydney Terroso on a Bobcats corner late in the third, the game came down to the fourth quarter. There, senior midfielder
Bridget Condie delivered the game-winning goal with 10:25 to play for the 2-1 win.
That was the third goal of the weekend for Condie, who has now tied her career high in goals this season with seven. Fittingly, she broke up a play deep in Yale's defensive zone late in the game and was able to snuff out the final Bobcats threat by playing ball control.
"
Bridget Condie owned that game," said
Pam Stuper, Yale's Caroline Ruth Thompson '02 Head Coach of Field Hockey. "That kid decided we're winning. She did a great job defending and was great at creating on attack. When she got the ball at the end of the game we knew it was 'Game Over'."
Yale (4-9, 1-3 Ivy League) seemed long overdue for a close win like this, having just snapped a streak of six straight one-goal losses. After Saturday's emotional win over the Big Green in front of a large crowd at Johnson Field for Alums Weekend, the Bulldogs showed their mettle by gutting out another victory Sunday. The defensive performance, led by four saves from Terroso, was even more impressive given that the Bulldogs were without senior back
Holly Jackson, who had started 60 games in her career to date.
"Knowing we had to play under fatigue after an emotional win yesterday, and playing without Holly, it says a lot about the team that they were able to step up," said Stuper.
Levieux' goal was set up by stick stopper sophomore back
Katie Pieterse, who thus notched her first point of the season. Junior forward/midfielder
Imogen Davies inserted on the play, getting her fourth assist of the weekend.
Condie's goal came off a pass from sophomore midfielder
Théodora Dillman. Stuper noted that those two have become a reliable and dynamic duo as part of Yale's midfield.
"Our players in the spine have really connected," said Stuper. "They are playing very good hockey. They are able to cover defensively and are able to attack in numbers."
This was the ninth time in the last 11 meetings between Yale and Quinnipiac (3-12, 1-4 Big East) that the game was decided by one goal.
The Bulldogs return to Ivy League play next Saturday, visiting Penn at noon.
