Box Score NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Senior goalkeeper Erin Mullins and the Yale women's lacrosse defense pitched a shutout in the first half Wednesday afternoon at Bryant, helping the Bulldogs to a 9-0 halftime lead and eventually a 12-8 win. Senior attacker Kerri Fleishhacker led Yale with three goals, the second year in a row she has had a hat trick vs. Bryant. Junior defender Flannery Carney led the defense with three caused turnovers. The win was Yale's third in a row.
With temperatures in the 40s and no precipitation -- just clouds -- these were the best playing conditions Yale (3-1, 0-0 Ivy League) had seen so far this season, and the Bulldogs took advantage of the chance to race to a big lead.
"In the first half we used our speed, had great ball movement and attacked from up top, the sides and behind," said Anne Phillips, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. "We only had six turnovers in the half. We played pretty flawlessly."
After an early save by Mullins, Yale established control offensively with three different types of goals. First, senior attacker Erin Magnuson drove in for the first goal of the game. Next, Fleishhacker utilized a free position attempt to fire in a goal low. Next, a great feed from Magnuson found senior midfielder Christina Doherty in the 8-meter fan for an assisted goal that made it 3-0 at 23:51.
That display of offensive prowess by Yale prompted a Bryant timeout, but Yale got the draw control after that and junior attacker Nicole Daniggelis fed senior midfielder Cathryn Avallone for a goal that kept the momentum squarely in the Bulldogs' favor.
After Fleishhacker scored on another free position attempt at 22:38, the Blue began spreading the playing time around by getting freshman midfielder Taryn Gallagher in for Daniggelis to take the draw control (Daniggelis would finish with a game-high five draws). Junior midfielder Lauren Wackerle came off the bench to score a free-position goal that made it 6-0 at 22:14.
"We decided to give some minutes to other players -- trying combinations in the midfield, on defense and on attack to see what kind of chemistry there was," said Phillips. "With practices interrupted by weather recently, this was our best opportunity to do that."
With Mullins and the Yale defense clicking, nothing came easy for Bryant -- not even free position shots. During one sequence midway through the first, attacker/midfielder Catlin Brown got a free position attempt but was swarmed by the defense before she could even attempt a shot. A foul was eventually called on Yale, but on Brown's ensuing free position attempt she elected to pass rather than driving into the 8-meter arc, and the shutout remained intact for Mullins.
After sophomore attacker Tess McEvoy made it 7-0 at 10:16, the Yale defense continued its roll. On a free position attempt by attacker Nicole Britton, junior defender Kate Walker blocked the shot to end the scoring threat. After a free position goal by Fleishhacker made it 8-0, Mullins denied attacker Lauren Descalzo -- coming off a seven-goal outing -- on a fast break. Mullins then got low to save a free position attempt by Descalzo with two minutes to play, and Magnuson set up Gallagher for a goal (the first of Gallagher's career) that made it 9-0 heading into halftime.
"Mullins played a great half," said Phillips. "She made some point-blank saves and did a great job backing up the defense, which played really well."
Both teams made goalie changes in the second, with freshman goalie Sydney Marks coming in for Yale. Samantha Santeramo relieved Daja Andrews for Bryant. Andrews had allowed only three goals on 17 shots coming into Wednesday's game, but Yale scored on her nine times on 11 shots on goal. Andrews and Santeramo are part of a large freshman class for Bryant (15 players), which lost nine seniors from last year's team to graduation. Yale, meanwhile, had six senior starters -- and they combined for nine goals.
"I know Bryant will be better within four years," said Phillips. "We were that team four seasons ago, playing so many freshmen. Now, we are starting six seniors. What a difference that experience makes. Our seniors are making really good decisions. That's what four years of experience does for you."
The Yale shutout finally ended after 31:32, as Bryant attacker Emily Columbus drove in for a goal at 28:28 of the second half. After another Bryant goal Yale called timeout with 23:06 to play, and Doherty bounced one in on a free position attempt to get the lead to 10-2.
Bryant (2-2, 0-0 NEC), the defending NEC Champions, then made a run after a par of kick saves by Marks. Bryant outscored Yale 5-1 during one stretch, with the lone goal for Yale (by Avallone on a free position attempt) followed almost immediately by a Bryant goal that kept the home team within striking distance. But after Columbus scored her team-best fourth goal of the game -- making the score 11-7 Yale with 3:06 to play -- the Yale defense settled down. Bryant did not score again until just before time expired; shortly before that, Magnuson had converted a free position attempt for an insurance goal. The final score thus matched the final score from last year's Yale win at Reese Stadium, 12-8.
Yale hosts Cornell Saturday at 11:00 a.m., part of a doubleheader at Reese Stadium that also includes a Yale men's lacrosse game vs. Fairfield at 1:30 p.m.
"It will be a busy two days of practice," said Phillips. "We're looking forward to our first Ivy League game. The intensity of an Ivy game is at a completely different level. We are hoping that our experience will be a difference maker."
Report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity
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