CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – A season full of historic accomplishments came to an end for the No. 12 Yale field hockey team Friday afternoon at Virginia's Turf Field, where the Bulldogs fell to No. 2 Northwestern – the defending national champions – 5-1 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
Yale falls to 12-6 overall (4-3 Ivy League), while Northwestern improves to 19-1 (8-0 Big Ten).
Summary
- Northwestern outshot Yale 5-0 in the first, but the Wildcats' lone shot on goal was stopped by first-year goalkeeper Amelie Schwarzkopf and the game remained scoreless.
- Northwestern took a 1-0 lead 2:17 before halftime. In transition, Ashley Sessa dribbled into the circle and fired a shot that Piper Borz deflected in.
- A penalty corner at 41:15 in the third enabled Northwestern to extend its lead. Sessa, the inserter, was in perfect position to knock in the rebound after Schwarzkopf made a diving stick save on the initial shot.
- A Bulldog turnover in the Yale zone enabled the Wildcats to get their lead to three midway through the fourth. Eva Nemeth picked off a pass near Yale's 23 meter line and sent the ball towards the cage, where Borz deflected it in at 52:45.
- Yale earned a penalty corner – its second of the game – and scored with 4:32 to play. Junior forward Tabs Collier inserted, then headed to the near post and got her stick down to deflect in a shot from junior back Hettie Whittington.
- Goals by Maddie Zimmer and Sessa (on a penalty stroke) for the Wildcats in the final four minutes made the final 5-1.
Notes
- Yale finishes with the third-most wins in a season in school history (12). The school record is 15, set in 1998.
- This was Yale's first NCAA Tournament appearance. Last week, the Bulldogs made their first Ivy League Tournament appearance.
- The Bulldogs are just the second team to score on Northwestern in the Wildcats' last five games. Northwestern has 12 shutouts for the season.
- This was the final game for Yale's seniors:
- That was the first career goal for Collier.
- Whittington finishes with a team-best 27 points (9-9-27). That is 10 more than her previous career high.
- Schwarzkopf tied her season high in saves with nine.
- The Wildcats' coaching staff includes associate head coach Georgia Holland '14. Holland was a two-time unanimous first team All-Ivy League pick at Yale, where she earned the school's Francis Gordon Brown Prize for leadership, scholarship and service. As a senior she was elected team captain and earned second team All-Mideast Region recognition. She was a part of Yale's 2011 Ivy League Championship team, earning Ivy League Rookie of the Year and second team All-Ivy honors that season.
- Northwestern will face Miami (Ohio) on Sunday with a spot in the NCAA Tournament semifinals on the line. The RedHawks upset No. 5 Virginia 2-1 in the first round Friday, prior to the Yale-Northwestern game.
