Cantore Has a Pair of Assists

ORONO, Me. - Friday afternoon at Maine, for the second time in as many games, Yale found itself trailing 2-0 in the second half. And once again, the Bulldogs executed a thrilling rally to tie the game. But just like last Saturday's game against Northwestern, the rally against the Black Bears ended in heartbreak -- Maine scored 3:15 into overtime to pull out the 3-2 win.

Maine (3-1) scored 2:49 into the game, a goal by midfielder Maire Dineen on a penalty corner. The two teams then went scoreless for more than 32 minutes, as Black Bears goalie Brittany Fleck stopped all four Yale shots on goal in the first half. She would finish with six saves.

A tip-in by forward Kelly Newton 37 seconds into the second half extended Maine's lead to 2-0, the same position Yale (1-2) was in last time out against Northwestern. The Bulldogs remained in the game thanks to six saves from senior goalkeeper Charlotte Goins, who came on to play the second half after junior Katie Bolling handled the first half.

The Bulldogs got back in the game with a penalty corner goal at 56:46, as sophomore midfielder Dinah Landshut put home a pass from senior midfielder Katie Cantore, the stick stopper. Yale head coach Pam Stuper immediately called timeout, and that strategy paid dividends.

"I called a timeout because we needed a break," Stuper said. "I gave them a few things to look for, and we went right back down and scored."

Indeed, just 16 seconds after Landshut's goal Cantore set up another one, as her shot was tipped in on the left post by freshman forward Maddy Sharp. Sharp now has five points in her first three collegiate games.

"Having Maddy come through has been great," Stuper said. "She played a really nice game."

The Bulldogs had some opportunities to take the lead later in regulation but could not get the goal they needed. Maine took advantage of a fast break in overtime, getting the ball up the left side quickly and putting Dineen all alone behind the Yale defense. She executed a fake to get Goins out of position before depositing the game-winner.

"We've had a habit of getting behind and then working from there," said Stuper. "It was awesome to be able to come back the way we did, but after that we couldn't put anything in."

Cantore's five assists in three games this year are already halfway to tying her career high, set a year ago. She, Landshut and Sharp all have five points so far.

Yale returns to action Saturday at 2 p.m. against Colgate at Maine's Field Hockey Complex.

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