NEW HAVEN, Conn. – In a game with major implications for the race for a spot in the Ivy League Tournament, the Yale field hockey team scored early and often to come away with a 5-0 win vs. Cornell Friday night at Johnson Field.
Yale improves to 7-4 overall, 2-2 in the Ivy League, while Cornell falls to 3-7 overall and 1-3 in the Ivy League. The Bulldogs are now part of a three-way tie for third in the league standings, alongside Brown and Penn. The top four teams make the Ivy League Tournament.
Summary
- Yale took the lead at 5:50 of the first. After her initial shot was smothered by Cornell goalkeeper Martha Broderick, Chiara Picciafuoco followed up by stuffing in her third goal of the year.
- Lauren Venter scored the Bulldogs' next two goals. On the first, at 9:53 of the first, Victoria Collee dribbled past a pair of Cornell defenders before feeding Venter in front. On the second, at 14:56, Venter beat the buzzer by deflecting in a long pass from Hettie Whittington.
- Whittington scored on a penalty stroke at 28:41 to send Yale into halftime up 4-0.
- Picciafuoco scored on a penalty corner at 36:42, assisted by stick stopper Keely Comizio and inserter Ellie Barlow, to get the lead to 5-0.
- Goalkeeper Alexa Pitts saved some of her best work for the end. With three minutes left she denied Olivia Friedberg from the doorstep to preserve the shutout. She then made a blocker save on Ashley Plzak in the final seconds to finish off the game.
Notes
- Pitts finished with five saves. This was her second career shutout.
- Yale had a 16-12 shot advantage.
- Venter now has four goals in the last four games, twice as many as she had in her first 21 career games (two).
- This was the most goals Cornell allowed in a game since a 6-1 loss at UConn in the season opener Sept. 6.
- This was Yale's largest margin of victory against Cornell since a 7-2 win Oct. 21, 2011.
Elsewhere in the Ivy League
- Penn 3, Dartmouth 0
- Harvard 9, Columbia 3
- Princeton 4, Brown 2
Up Next
- Yale visits Hofstra Tuesday at 3:00 p.m.
