PRINCETON, N.J. — A clash of top Ivy League teams resulted in Yale's first conference loss of the season as the Bulldogs fell 7-2 against hosts Princeton. 

A pair of upperclassmen, senior George Blatchford and junior Shiyuan Mao, picked up wins for Yale (10-2, 3-1 Ivy) but a series of close matches, particularly at the top of the lineup, went in favor of Princeton (7-2, 2-2 Ivy) to provide the result. 

At No. 2, freshman Celine Yeap did well to build a 2-0 lead, but stiff competition from her Princeton counterpart stopped her from finishing off the contest, which she eventually lost in five. 

Junior Jenny Scherl, in the top spot, and senior captain Annie Ballaine both lost in four tight games. 

While Princeton claimed a deserved victory, the affair was closer than the final scoreline indicated and the Bulldogs will leave feeling they could reverse the outcome if the teams met down the road at the national championships.

Yale will look to come up with a big rebound win tomorrow as the Bulldogs meet No. 2 Penn, who defeated Princeton 8-1 on Jan. 30. The match with the Quakers will begin at 12:00 p.m. in Philadelphia.

Report by Evan Brown '16, Yale Sports Publicity

Results (via CSA)