HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - With the celebration of 50 years of varsity field hockey at Yale coming up next weekend, the current edition of the Bulldogs was hard at work adding to the program's history Sunday afternoon at Hofstra. A pair of goals by sophomore forward
Lily Ramsey and a penalty stroke goal by senior midfielder
Théodora Dillman provided the edge Yale needed for a 3-2 win over the Pride. This was Yale's first victory with
Melissa Gonzalez as the team's Caroline Ruth Thompson '02 Head Coach of Field Hockey.
"I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of this win," said Gonzalez, who played in two Olympics and was an assistant coach at Wake Forest before taking charge of the Bulldogs earlier this year. "It's a very special moment and I look forward to the challenging but fun journey ahead of us. None of this would be possible without the players, the staff, alumni and administration's belief and support. The players deserve all the praise. They've been working hard to get better everyday and have been relentless in this pursuit."
Coming off a narrow 2-1 loss at Wagner Friday, Yale (1-1, 0-0 Ivy League) quickly turned the page when Ramsey knocked in the rebound of a shot by senior midfielder
Alissa Wong during a penalty corner less than five minutes into the game.
Dillman – whose connections to Yale field hockey history include being part of the program's first mother-daughter combination, alongside her mother
Anne Lehman Dillman '93 – earned a penalty stroke at the 18:54 mark after an obstruction call against Hofstra. She fired in her first goal of the season and 19th of her career. The Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead into halftime.
Hofstra (1-3, 0-0 CAA) crept closer with a goal at 31:48 by back/midfielder Cami Larsson. A shot by Pride forward Cami Valor with six minutes left in the third hit the post, keeping Yale's lead intact. Junior goalkeeper
Luanna Summer's kick save on a penalty corner shot by midfielder/forward Fede Schroder at 45:39 also proved critical.
Pride goalkeeper Pieke Roos kept her team in the game with a couple outstanding saves. But Ramsey struck again at the 57:44 mark, tipping in a pass from junior forward/midfielder
Ashley Kim to give the Bulldogs some breathing room.
It turned out they needed it, as Larsson scored on a penalty corner with 21 seconds left to pull the Pride within one. That was as close as they would get, though, as the Bulldogs eventually ran out the final seconds for the memorable win.
"Hofstra was a very talented team and opponent," said Gonzalez. "They were very dangerous and quick on their counter attack. I wish them the best of luck with the rest of their season."
Gonzalez' connections to Yale field hockey history include a stint as a volunteer assistant coach with the Bulldogs in 2012. The victory Sunday came in the state where she grew up, New York.
Ramsey now has four career goals and three of them have been game-winners.
Yale hosts Sacred Heart next Friday at 6:00 p.m., and the celebration of Yale Field Hockey's 50th also includes a game against Drexel next Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
