JULIA TIERNAN/YH With a 4-0 record, the women's lacrosse team is basking in the sun.

Sports Shorts

After four wins in Florida, women's lax starts Ivy season

By all accounts, the week in sunny Florida brought the team together and allowed them to evaluate their potential for the upcoming season. The team was able to take advantage of the state-of-the-art facilities offered by the Disney complex—not to mention free time spent in the Magic Kingdom, Epcot Center, and MGM studios. "We are a tight team, and we were able to develop great dynamics while in Florida," Heather Rich-ley, BR '02, said.

The highlight of the trip was the team's first win, a 12-5 blowout victory over nationally ranked James Madison University (JMU). "It was an amazing win...a great start to the season," captain Heather Bentley, SY '00, said. "We could see that our hard work was beginning to pay off." Although the JMU win was the most satisfying, in each of its wins, the team put forth a laudable effort and demonstrated the characteristics that will be the keys to its success this season.

The backbone of this year's team is its depth. "We have 27 people that can play at any time," Bentley said. She stressed that the offense is especially balanced. "We have seven threats on attack, while in the past only a couple of people have been the focus." This will become important as the season progresses and as opponents' scouting reports become thicker and more effective. No longer will opponents be able to isolate individuals.

The team hopes to continue its success this weekend against nationally ranked Dartmouth. This will be the Bulldogs' strongest competition thus far. Both Richley and Bentley emphasized the need to maintain focus against the tougher competition. "We have to focus on ourselves, rather than on who our opponent is," Richey said. While Hanover is a long way from Florida, a little focus should allow the Disney magic to continue. —Dave Lisson

Young team soaks up rays and experience

The lacrosse team's recent trip to Florida prepared the Bulldogs for the grueling season that awaits—and gave them some grueling time on the beach. "It was good to get away from New Haven, take our minds off our worries, and concentrate on lacrosse," Ryan Morris, BK '00, said. "It was overall a perfect environment." The team is relatively young and appears to be bonding nicely. "We're even eating meals as a team," Morris said.

The relaxing effects of Florida translated into success on the field. Ryan Floyd, BK '03, noticed that "the intensity of the team picked up when we went to Florida. We started working harder and really upped the tempo."

After dispatching Drexel 7-5 on Sat., Mar. 4, the team played nationally ranked Syracuse. Despite losing 16-8, Morris said, "It was very beneficial, especially for the younger players, to see a No. 1 team that good." The team recovered from the loss, and defeated Penn 11-10 in its Ivy League opener.

Coming back from spring break, Yale found itself ranked No. 15 in the country. That high ranking, along with the overall strong play of the Ivy League, will be a deciding factory in whether or not Yale can obtain an NCAA tournament bid. Every Ivy team except Dartmouth is ranked in the top 20, with Cornell and Princeton ahead of Yale. The league normally gets only one bid, but, because of its prominence in the polls, the Ivies may receive two bids this year. "We want the Ivies to be ranked high to get the extra bid," Morris said.

Yale's hopes rest on this weekend's game at Cornell. If the Elis can adapt to the artificial surface and notch a win in the cold, they'll return from Ithaca in good position to receive at least the second NCAA bid. —Ewan MacDougall

Tough losses in California

While in southern California, the women's tennis team tanned in the sun and hit the karaoke bars (word is that Liz Oosterhuis, BK '02, does a mean duet with Vanilla Ice), but there was still serious business at hand. The Bulldogs played seven matches in just 12 days on their spring break swing. They bested Long Beach State and Santa Clara, but finished a disappointing 2-4. The West Coast competition was tough—the four losses came against teams with a 33-3 combined record.

"It was a good training trip," said Elizabeth Kaufman SY '03, the team's current No. 3 player. "It was still a lot of hard work." The team trained five hours a day despite its grueling match schedule. But with the beginning of the Ivy League season approaching quickly, the team's biggest concern has been not wins and losses, but staying healthy.

The Bulldogs are 7-7 and have non-league games against Boston College and Temple this weekend, their final tune-ups before Ivy play kicks off with a home meet against Princeton, the favorite to take the league title. The Bulldogs are hurting, with one of the team's top players, Cynthia Obsitnik, ES '01, sidelined until next week, as well as Ashlee Ferlito, CC '02, and Lauren Muehl, CC '01, slowed by nagging injuries.

Even with their young roster, the Bulldogs have shown that their depth can match that of anyone in the league. But even with the Tigers coming to town in two weeks, the goal for now remains simple: to get healthy as soon as possible.

—Albert Chen

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