NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale Field Hockey Class of 2022 got a memorable send-off Saturday on Senior Day at Johnson Field, as the Bulldogs rallied from an early deficit for a 3-2 win vs. Penn in overtime. Fittingly, the seniors played a key role in the victory.
Yale began the day by celebrating the five seniors – midfielder
Théodora Dillman, back
Laine Garber, midfielder
April Kim, back
Katie Pieterse and midfielder
Alissa Wong. All five started. Penn (4-9, 2-3 Ivy League) – which had just entered the national rankings earlier this week – jumped out to a 1-0 lead on a penalty corner goal by forward Allison Kuzyk at 12:57.
After being outshot 6-1 in the first quarter Yale (8-7, 2-3 Ivy League) dramatically shifted the field, going on to outshoot the Quakers 16-4 the rest of the way. But the score would remain unchanged for more than 20 minutes after Kuzyk's goal. When it did change, it changed quickly: the Bulldogs scored twice in a span of 82 seconds to take the lead.
Wong got the sequence started, driving into the circle from the right side and backhanding in her first goal of the year.
Sophomore forward/midfielder
Nicole Gotthardt then sent a pass across to sophomore forward
Lily Ramsey for a goal that gave Yale a 2-1 lead at 35:51.
Penn (4-9, 2-3 Ivy League) tied the game at 46:21 on a penalty corner goal by midfielder Courtney Kenah, setting up a dramatic finish. Yale junior goalkeeper
Luanna Summer made one of her biggest plays of the day with 3:30 remaining, kicking away a dangerous shot by midfielder Olivia Kenny with 3:30 left. That wound up being the third and final save of the day for Summer, as the Yale defense kept the Quakers at bay the rest of the way.
The game-winning sequence in overtime began with Barlow drawing a penalty corner, then heading to her usual spot as inserter. She sent the ball directly to Dillman – who already had two overtime game-winners this year. Dillman's low, hard shot forced Penn goalie Frederique Wollaert down to make the save, and Barlow was camped out just to Wollaert's right. She poked in the rebound, touching off an emotional celebration. This was Yale's first win vs. Penn since 2016 (
also 3-2 in overtime).
It was a beautiful fall afternoon this time around, but Saturday's finale also had echoes of the final home game from 2018 – when Dillman, Pieterse and Wong played crucial roles as first years. That game, against Columbia in a rainstorm, was also tied after regulation. After two scoreless overtime periods the three first years wound up being the three goal-scorers in the shootout that decided the game, with Pieterse scoring the game-winner for a
2-1 win.
Yale's last win vs. a ranked opponent was a 1-0 win at then-No. 23 UMass
exactly five years ago.
Yale now heads to Dartmouth next Saturday. Wins in the final two games would give the Bulldogs their first 10 win season since 2018.
