NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- A pair of penalty corner goals in the third quarter proved decisive in another memorable Yale-Harvard battle Saturday afternoon at Johnson Field, as the No. 13 Crimson scored twice in a span of 76 seconds en route to topping the Bulldogs 3-1.
Harvard (10-1, 3-0 Ivy League) jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a penalty corner goal at 4:34, but after that Yale sophomore goalkeeper
Luanna Summer settled in and held the Crimson scoreless for the remainder of the half. Yale tied the game at 18:07 on a straight shot by junior midfielder
Théodora Dillman on a corner, with junior back
Katie Pieterse as the stick stopper and senior midfielder
Imogen Davies as the inserter. Yale's corner unit has now produced the team's last six goals.
Summer showcased her athleticism with several remarkable saves in the third quarter, but ultimately the penalty corner advantage tipped in Harvard's favor. The Crimson wound up with five corners in the quarter, and scored on each of the final two in the same way -- forward Megan Joel batting in a deflection.
The loss spoiled an otherwise memorable afternoon at Johnson Field, with many alums returning for the team's first Alum Day since 2019.
"I'm proud of the way the team played," said
Pam Stuper, Yale's Caroline Ruth Thompson '02 Head Coach of Field Hockey. "We put in a good 60 minutes. We knew Harvard was very opportunistic, and their corner unit was very good. They just had too many chances."
Summer finished with eight saves, while Dillman had a defensive save. Yale (4-6,1-2 Ivy League) travels to No. 20 UMass Sunday.
