Friday, 6:00 p.m. Columbia
Sunday, 12:00 p.m. No. 19 Temple
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale field hockey team (9-4, 3-2 Ivy League) hosts a pair of games this weekend, playing Columbia Friday (6:00 p.m.,
ESPN+,
International Stream,
Live Stats) and Temple Sunday (12:00 p.m.,
NESN,
ESPN+,
International Stream,
Live Stats). The Bulldogs have a chance to clinch a spot in the Ivy League Tournament, based on Friday's results. Friday will also be Senior Night.
LAST WEEK
Yale went 2-0 last week, beating Hofstra
2-1 in overtime Oct. 15 on a goal by senior midfielder
Julia Freedman (Greenwich, Conn.). The Bulldogs followed that up with a
4-0 win at Dartmouth Oct. 18. That was their third shutout of the season.
SENIOR CLASS
Prior to Friday's game, the Bulldogs will honor the seniors from both teams. That includes seven Bulldogs. This group has been a part of 34 wins since the start of the 2021 season, including three nine-win seasons that are tied for the most wins in a season by a Yale team since the 2011 Ivy League Championship season. They have also helped Yale Field Hockey earn the NFHCA National Academic Team Award each season of their careers.
Yale's seniors:
YALE IN THE NATIONAL RANKINGS
Yale is ranked 12th nationally in goals per game (2.77), 13th nationally in points per game (7.85), 14th nationally in scoring margin (1.41), 15th nationally in goals-against average (1.26) and 16th nationally in assists per game (2.31). Individually, senior goalkeeper
Alexa Pitts (Lancaster, Pa.) ranks 12th in goalie win-loss percentage (.750) and 17th in goals-against average (1.26).
PICCIAFUOCO HONORED
First year forward/midfielder
Chiara Picciafuoco (Buenos Aires, Argentina), who totaled five points last week, was named Ivy League Co-Offensive Player of the Week Monday. Picciafuoco shared the award with Princeton's Beth Yeager.
Picciafuoco did all her scoring for the week in the 4-0 win at Dartmouth Oct. 18. She had a pair of goals and an assist in that game after being held scoreless in the 2-1 overtime win at Hofstra Oct. 15.
Picciafuoco is now tied for the Yale team lead in goals with six. She leads all Ivy League first years in goals, with two more than the next closest players – Harvard forward Emily Bronckers and Brown forward Kiersten Smith.
IVY LEAGUE STANDINGS
| Team |
Ivy League Wins |
Ivy League Losses |
| Princeton |
5 (Pe, Col, Cor, Br, Harv) |
0 |
| Harvard |
4 (Dart, Br, Y, Col) |
1 (Prin) |
| Brown |
3 (Y, Dart, Col) |
2 (Harv, Prin) |
| Yale |
3 (Pe, Cor, Dart) |
2 (Br, Harv) |
| Cornell |
2 (Dart, Penn) |
3 (Col, Pr, Y) |
| Penn |
2 (Col, Dart) |
3 (Pr, Y, Cor) |
| Columbia |
1 (Cor) |
4 (Pr, Pe, Harv, Brown) |
| Dartmouth |
0 |
5 (Harv, Cor, Br, Pe, Yale) |
IVY LEAGUE TOURNAMENT
The Ivy League Tournament takes place at the site of the No. 1 seed and includes the top four teams in the regular season standings. Semifinals take place Friday Nov. 8 and the tournament championship game is Sunday Nov. 10. Entering this weekend three teams still have the potential to host the tournament: Harvard, Princeton and Yale.
CLINCHING SCENARIO
Yale clinches a spot in the Ivy League Tournament this weekend if all three of these things happen:
- Harvard wins at Penn (Friday, 2:00 p.m.)
- Brown wins at Cornell (Friday, 2:00 p.m.)
- Yale beats Columbia (Friday, 6:00 p.m.)
SCOUTING COLUMBIA
Columbia (3-9, 1-4 Ivy League) has lost three in a row, but the Lions did push Brown to a shootout last Friday before falling 2-1. Four of Columbia's last five losses have been either in overtime or by a shootout. Goalkeeper Katie Wimmer ranks fourth nationally in saves per game (8.17) and fifth nationally in save percentage (.810). Yale has won four of the last five in the series vs. Columbia, including a
1-0 win last year in New York.
SCOUTING TEMPLE
Temple (9-5, 4-1 Big East) just had a seven-game winning streak snapped by Lafayette, 2-1 in overtime this past Sunday. The Owls play at Villanova on Friday. Goalkeeper Isabella Ospitale ranks sixth nationally in goals-against average (0.93) and eighth nationally in save percentage (.788).
