April 9, 2008
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The regular season is winding down for the No. 13 Yale women's lacrosse team, and the Bulldogs are trying to state their case for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. Wednesday's game against Columbia at Johnson Field made it clear that the Yale senior class wants to extend its final season. The Class of 2008 accounted for 10 goals -- including four each from attacker Meredith Callahan and midfielder Lauren Taylor, along with two from midfielder Kat Peetz -- to help the Bulldogs to a 16-8 win. Taylor also had five assists, tying her career high with nine points.
"That was senior leadership," said Laura Field, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. "You can see it in the stats -- 10 goals from seniors. We had to rebound from a tough game on Saturday, and they helped us do that."
Yale (9-4, 3-2 Ivy League) showed no signs of aftereffects from its 9-6 loss at No. 2 Princeton, racing out to a 6-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of this game.
"It was really important to set the tone," Field said. "One of the things we have talked about was getting games in hand quickly, especially since every game has NCAA tournament implications. We did not want to give Columbia a chance to get going."
Sophomore attacker Jessica Sturgill started the streak by putting a low shot on goal that Columbia goalie Emma Mintz got a piece of, only to have it trickle past her and in at the 23:23 mark. A minute later Callahan bounced in a free-position shot.
Senior goalkeeper Ellen Cameron's save on a free-position shot by the Lions, one of three saves on the day for her, helped jump-start Yale's next possession. Taylor came away with the ground ball, and at the other end of the field her short pass hit junior attacker Linden Ellis in stride on her way to the goal to make it 3-0 Yale. That was the 229th point of Taylor's career, moving her past Miles Whitman '04 and into sole possession of second on Yale's career list behind Tracy Ball '81 (271).
Taylor then buried a free-position shot to extend the lead. Senior defender Katie Wiacek got the draw control after that goal, and she got the ball to Taylor. Taylor drew the attention of the defense as she headed towards the goal, enabling her to pass to a wide-open Callahan in front for a 5-0 lead.
"Lauren did a great job feeding the ball and scoring," Field said. "To have five assists and four goals is about as diverse a game as you can get."
The Bulldogs caught the Lions in transition for their next goal, as Ellis converted a pass from Peetz for her 14th goal of the year -- twice as many as she had in the two previous seasons combined. Columbia (3-8, 0-6 Ivy) finally disrupted the Yale run on a Holly Glynn goal at 14:57. Peetz added another goal, on a Taylor assist, a minute after that Lion goal.
While the seniors were a focal point of the game, the Bulldogs also utilized the chance to work in the players they hope will provide a foundation for years to come. Freshman midfielder Ariana Papier took a pass from Taylor and caught just about everyone by surprise by flipping the ball behind her head and past Mintz at 13:01 to make it 8-1.
Marisa Marcellino, Columbia's all-time leading scorer, scored on a free-position shot at 10:30. That was Marcellino's lone goal of the day, thanks in large part to the work of senior defender Jess Champion.
"We wanted to limit what Marisa Marcellino could do, and Jess Champion did that," said Field. "Columbia is a very athletic team with three very strong attackers, and she is one of them. Holding her to one goal was an accomplishment."
Yale closed out the half with four straight goals. Sturgill started the run with a free-position attempt in which she opted to pass to sophomore Jenna Block for a goal with 6:38 left. Block then picked up an assist when she passed to Callahan from behind the cage; Callahan lunged forward and flicked the ball in. Unassisted goals by Taylor and junior midfielder Jenn Warden made it 12-2 at halftime.
In addition to their edge on the scoreboard, the Bulldogs also won 11 of 15 draw controls for the half, and picked up nine ground balls to Columbia's four. Warden finished the game with five draw controls, one shy of her season high in that category for the Bulldogs.
"Draw controls have been a sticking point for us, so it was great to see Jenn get five," Field said. "Taylor Fragapane picking up three ground balls and having three caused turnovers was also key."
The Lions scored three of the first four goals of the second half, interrupted only by Taylor scoring on a free-position shot. After a Yale timeout the Bulldogs put the game away by scoring three of the next four -- one each by Peetz, Taylor and Callahan, who scored off a Taylor assist while taking a hard hit with 6:13 to play.
Columbia scored twice in the final five minutes for the 16-8 final.
"We weren't thrilled with how we played in the second half," Field said. "That is a trend we want to stop. Still, it was a solid overall effort."
Freshman Katie Janian played the final 22:18 in relief of Cameron and made two saves. Attacker Courtney deFeo had a pair of draw controls to highlight the contribution from Yale's bench.
The win clinched a winning season for Yale, the Bulldogs' 15th straight. Only Maryland, which has clinched its 27th straight, and Dartmouth, which is trying for its 17th straight, have longer streaks going.
Yale travels to Baltimore to play UMBC Sunday at 1:00 p.m.
report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity
