Bulldogs Suffer Third One-Goal Loss of Season

AMHERST, Mass - Add No. 9 UMass to the list of teams to have escaped with a close win over Yale this season. The Minutewomen got only one goal against the Bulldogs, but with USA Junior National Team member Alesha Widdall in goal it was enough for a 1-0 win Sunday afternoon at Garber Field. Three of Yale's four losses this season have been by one-goal margins.

The Bulldogs had the edge in shots (15-11) and corners (10-8), but Widdall's four saves kept Yale from getting the equalizer after Eileen Saffron's goal at 22:09 gave UMass (8-3) the lead.

"UMass is a good team, but it was a game we could have won," said head coach Pam Stuper. "We played well, but Alesha Widdall is a very good keeper. We needed to move her, and we didn't."

Bright spots for Yale included holding UMass scoreless on eight penalty corner attempts.

"The defensive corner unit did a great job," said Stuper. "The games I had scouted UMass, they scored a lot on corners, and today we didn't allow any."

The Yale defense has allowed just two goals in the last three games. Stuper praised senior back Julia Weiser for her leadership and play in the backfield, while also noting the work of a freshman at the other end of the field.

"Maddy Sharp did a great job off the bench on the forward line," Stuper said. "She was very dangerous on offense and very good defensively as well."

Yale (6-4, 2-1 Ivy League) was coming off an emotional 1-0 overtime win over Cornell Saturday, the first loss of the season for the Big Red. The Bulldogs are back in action next Sunday at 2 p.m. against No. 5 UConn at Johnson Field.

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