NEW HAVEN, Conn. – An epic field hockey battle between Harvard and Yale Saturday afternoon at Johnson Field ended in heartbreaking fashion for the Bulldogs. With the two teams tied 1-1 after two overtimes -- 100 total minutes of play -- thanks in large part to a 16-save effort by Yale junior goalie Emilie Katz, the game was decided by a shootout. The teams were tied 1-1 after the first series of shots, but Harvard got the game-winner from back Elizabeth Jacobson in the sudden-victory set to claim a 2-1 win.

Yale (2-4, 0-1 Ivy League) entered the day with its roster depleted by injuries, and the Bulldogs used a total of just 14 players in the two-and-a-half-hour long marathon game. They still nearly gutted out the victory with 5:30 left in the second overtime; a great save by Harvard goalie Issy Davies denied senior forward Nicole Wells off a beautiful pass from sophomore forward/midfielder Carol Middough.

"I'm really proud of the effort," said Pam Stuper, Yale's Caroline Ruth Thompson '02 Head Coach of Field Hockey. "We certainly had our challenges coming into this game, but we couldn't have asked the team to work any harder or fight any harder in response."

Senior back Noelle Villa, Yale's captain, had given the Bulldogs an early 1-0 lead. After her initial shot on a penalty corner was denied by Davies, Villa took a pass from Wells and sent a shot towards the goal; it appeared to deflect off a Harvard stick as it sailed high past Davies at the 13:58 mark.

For much of the game it appeared Katz could single-handedly make that lead stand. One of her best saves of the day came with less than six minutes left in the first. A pass set up Harvard midfielder Victoria Boylett all alone on the right side, and Boylett sent a hard shot on goal. But just when it appeared that the shot was headed inside the far post, Katz kicked out her right leg and got enough of the ball to send it wide.

After Yale held the Crimson without a corner in the first, Harvard (4-2, 1-0 Ivy League) capitalized when it got its first corner early in the second. The Crimson's leading scorer, forward Marissa Balleza, scored off an assist from forward Kathleen Young to tie the game 1-1 at 47:32.

The game remained tied despite seven more corners for Harvard through the first overtime. The Crimson then had multiple opportunities to win in the second OT. Yale freshman midfielder/back Marissa Medici broke up a chance for Balleza five minutes in, and Katz then ranged far out of the goal to stuff a chance for Young 90 seconds later. Katz then made another improbable save with 7:30 left in the second overtime, calmly kicking away a point-blank shot from Young.

"Emilie played a great game," said Stuper. "She gave us an opportunity to win again."

In the shootout, shooters each got eight seconds to score. Harvard took a 1-0 lead in the first series (best of five) when Jacobson snuck one past Katz. After Medici answered for Yale by knocking in the rebound of her initial shot, Harvard had another chance to claim victory snatched away by Katz. The final shot of the first series belonged to Crimson midfielder Ellie Cookson, and she rocketed a low shot that Katz barely stopped with her pads. The ball then trickled behind Katz, and as Katz was going down Cookson attempted to get behind her to stuff in the rebound -- only to have Katz turn around and use her stick to swat away the shot and preserve the tie.

Neither team scored in the first set of shots in sudden victory, and Jacobson then put the Crimson ahead 2-1 in the second set. The Bulldogs' final attempt came up empty, bringing the game to its heart-breaking end.

Despite the loss, Yale still had much to celebrate. It was Alumnae Day, and Yale also paid tribute to recently retired Senior Associate Athletics Director Barbara Chesler.

"It is always good to have alums here, and they certainly helped us take this game to overtime with their enthusiasm," said Stuper. "It was also nice to have Barbara back and celebrate her decades of service to Yale Field Hockey."

Yale travels to Hofstra Sunday for a 2:00 p.m. game.

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