March 29, 2008
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Early in the season, No. 14 Yale had a habit of falling behind early and then having to try to catch up for wins. The Bulldogs have broken that habit in a big way recently. Saturday afternoon at Johnson Field Yale jumped out to a 6-0 lead over Harvard in the game's first 20 minutes, limiting the Crimson's potent offense to just one shot in that stretch. By the end of the game, junior attacker Linden Ellis and junior midfielder Jenn Warden had four goals each, senior goalkeeper Ellen Cameron had eight saves, and the Bulldogs had a 14-6 win over their archrivals.
This was the second game in a row where Yale (7-3, 2-1 Ivy League) took a big early lead; the Bulldogs went up 7-0 on UConn in the first 15 minutes of Wednesday's 18-3 win. In the eight games prior to Wednesday Yale had trailed at one point in the first half each time, and three times the Bulldogs had fallen behind by three or more goals.
The Bulldogs knew they could not afford to let Harvard (7-2, 0-1 Ivy League) get on a roll early. The Crimson entered the day ranked No. 11 in the country in scoring offense, averaging more than 14 goals per game. Harvard had been held to fewer than 13 goals just once.
The Yale defense, ranked No. 9 in the country and allowing just over seven goals per game, was up to the task. Yale's starting defenders -- senior Jess Champion, sophomore Claire Eliasberg, sophomore Michele Fiorentino and senior Katie Wiacek -- kept Harvard from getting anywhere near Cameron in the early going. The Bulldogs also kept Harvard from operating in transition by breaking up three of eight clears in the first half, also taking advantage of eight Harvard turnovers while committing only four. Champion finished the game with four draw controls, three caused turnovers and three ground balls.
"We were able to keep them from getting into a rhythm," said Laura Field, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. "We didn't play matchup D, we just let our defense play them. One of our goals was to dictate the flow of the game. The job that Jess Champion did -- getting draw controls, causing turnovers, getting ground balls -- helped us stay in control."
At the other end of the field the Bulldogs operated efficiently and effectively. Senior midfielder Lauren Taylor drew a foul six minutes in, then rifled the free-position shot high into the right corner of the cage. Five minutes later, after a Crimson turnover, Taylor set up behind the cage and found Ellis cutting in front for a goal.
After the Crimson missed a free-position attempt, Warden began creating some separation between the two teams with a pair of unassisted goals in a span of 39 seconds midway through the half. That prompted a Harvard timeout, but after another Crimson turnover Warden fed Ellis for a 5-0 lead. She and Taylor both ended the day with a pair of assists.
"Lauren Taylor was great, feeding the ball into a faceguard," Field said. "And Jenn Warden moved exactly the way we want her to move."
The Bulldogs made it 6-0 with a quick clear after a Harvard turnover in the Yale end. Cameron hit Warden with a long pass, and she sent it ahead to Ellis for a goal with 10 minutes left in the half. Ellis would finish with a career-high four goals, and now has a career-high nine goals for the season. She has six goals and an assist in the last two games
"Driving at speed is something that we have been preaching, and Linden did that," said Field. "She is one of the fastest kids we have."
Harvard attacker Sara Flood broke up the Yale run with a goal at the 6:25 mark, and the Bulldogs went into halftime with the score 6-1.
Goals by Ellis, Taylor and senior attacker Meredith Callahan at the start of the second half gave Yale further control. Over the game's final 20 minutes each team scored five times -- including a goal by Yale senior midfielder Kat Peetz that extended her scoring streak to 10 games -- for the 14-6 final.
"Harvard is not a team to be taken lightly," Field said. "While we could have done a better job in the second half, limiting a team like that to six goals was a good effort."
Yale has now won 13 of the last 14 games in its series vs. Harvard. Adding to the atmosphere for this one was the presence of many former Bulldogs, who were on hand for the team's annual alumnae reception.
"The support from our alumnae today was tremendous," Field said. "It was great to see so many of them come back."
Yale hosts Holy Cross Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.
report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity