NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's lacrosse team opened Ivy League play with a thrilling 12-9 win at Dartmouth three weeks ago. The Bulldogs aim to keep that momentum going this Saturday as they host Penn (12:00 p.m., ESPN+, Live Stats) in their next Ivy contest. A victory would give Yale its first 2-0 league start since 2018.
 
Last Game
Yale (4-2, 1-0 Ivy League) fell to then-No. 16 Notre Dame 17-10 last Sunday in Florida. First-year attacker Jenna Collignon (Hinsdale, Ill.) scored four goals, leading the way as Yale's first-year class accounted for nine of the team's 10 goals.
 
Poll Position
Yale was among the teams receiving votes in the latest IWLCA poll, released Mar. 21. The Bulldogs thus sit just outside of the national top 25, having recently played No. 2 Boston College and No. 14 Notre Dame. The Bulldogs' remaining schedule includes No.6 Stony Brook, No. 10 Princeton and No. 22 UConn.
 
Ball Control
Yale is averaging only 14.17 turnovers per game. Princeton is the only Ivy League team averaging fewer turnovers (10.71). Twice in the last three games Yale has had 10 or fewer turnovers.
 
Where She Makes Her Markert
Senior attacker Olivia Markert (Centreville, Va.) leads Yale in goals and points (17-2-19). She is averaging 1.5 free position goals per game, which places her sixth in the nation in that category. Markert is shooting .600 on free position attempts.
 
Penoyer Among Ivy Assist Leaders
Junior attacker Olivia Penoyer (Manlius, N.Y.) is second in the Ivy League in assists per game (1.67). She has 10 of Yale's 26 assists for the season (38 percent). That includes a season-high four in the win over Sacred Heart to start the year. An honorable mention All-Ivy League honoree in 2019, Penoyer is one of just eight players in the league this season with All-Ivy credentials. 
 
Home Field Advantage
Yale plays nine of its 15 regular-season games at Reese Stadium this year, including the next four in a row. The Bulldogs are 34-23 (.596) at home since the start of the 2014 season:
2014 7-3
2015 5-3
2016 4-4
2017 4-4
2018 5-4
2019 5-3
2020 2-2
2022 2-0
 
Clearly Good
Yale's clearing percentage this season is .881. The Bulldogs are holding their opponents to a .760 clearing percentage.
 
A Fresh Start
Seven starters for Yale had never played a game in college, let alone started one, prior to this season. The list includes:

• First-year midfielder Sky Carrasquillo (Alpharetta, Ga.) (6 starts)
• First-year attacker Jenna Collignon (Hinsdale, Ill.) (2 starts)
• First-year goalkeeper Cami Donadio (Winter Park, Fla.) (2 starts)
• First-year midfielder Taylor Lane (Norwalk, Conn.) (6 starts)
• First-year midfielder Molly McGuckin (Alexandria, Va.) (4 starts)
• First-year midfielder Fallon Vaughn (Concord, Mass.)  (6 starts)
• First-year defender Marymegan Wright (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) (3 starts)

 
Scouting Penn
Penn (3-5, 0-1 Ivy League) has suffered four losses by four or fewer goals, including a 9-8 loss to Harvard in the Ivy League opener Mar. 5. The Quakers have not started an Ivy season 0-2 since 2002, when they lost to both Yale (17-10) and Cornell (9-8).
 
 

?? What a goal by Taylor Everson! We cut No. 16 Notre Dame's lead to 11-7 with just over 12 minutes to play in the third quarter.

?? (ESPN+) https://t.co/wbMVBkqgVx
?? (International) https://t.co/A1iHPqG4Mi #ThisIsYale pic.twitter.com/RzC8fPHYgR

— Yale Women's Lacrosse (@YaleWLacrosse) March 20, 2022