Coming together for the home stretch

By Juliet Sorce

Emily Groom, JE '98, decided it wasn't over yet, and netted a goal. "She came from the backfield with a beautiful transition goal," Amanda Cox, MC '98, said. In the next five minutes, the Bulldogs would go on a three-goal tear, and eventually knotted the contest at 11. Cox scored the winning goal with 1:48 remaining in the game. By scoring the final five goals of the Sat., Apr. 4 contest, the Elis completed their greatest comeback in years.

"I was really proud that we pulled it out," Amy Terry, JE '98, said. Although the Harvard game proved to be the greatest thrill of the season thus far, many players shake their heads at their lack of consistency. "We played well when we had to...but we could have played better," Alison Cole, ES '99, said.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Photo of Heather Bentley, SY '00

The Bulldogs' impressive comebacks have brought them five wins in their first six games, but the squad has consistently failed to start its games with the same intensity that it has ended them. This will have to change if Yale is going to contend for the league championship. In a crucial contest against league power Dartmouth, the Elis' slow start cost them the game. They fell behind 7-2 before making a late run, and finally lost 12-10. "We need to be able to pick up quicker in the beginning," Terry said, "before we get into a hole. We need to be in control from the first draw, instead of waiting to react." On Thurs., Apr. 12, the Elis overcame a lackluster first half and a halftime deficit to defeat Boston University 12-10.

The Bulldogs face Princeton, ranked fourth, on Sat., Apr. 11, and for them to have any chance at all, they will have to play well early. The league championship will be at stake--an upset would put Yale right back in the race, despite its loss to the Big Green.

Which Bulldog team will show up on Saturday? The dominant squad that squashed its first three opponents by a 41-16 margin? Or the team that has seen extended lapses?

The Bulldogs must be encouraged by their two games since their comeback win against Harvard. On Tues., Apr. 7, midfielder Kerry Long, SY '98, proved that Yale still has the stuff to start a game strongly. Long set the tone early in the game against Pennsylvania, scoring in the first 10 seconds. The Elis went on to an easy 16-5 win. For the first time in weeks, the team played 60 intense minutes.

On Wed., Apr. 8, the Bulldogs dominated early and often once again. Led by the stellar effort of Heather Bentley, SY '00, who scored five goals, the team went on to an easy 17-8 victory over Boston College.

"What is so exciting about this year's team is that they show improvement with each game," head coach Amanda O'Leary said. "We are a very committed group of individuals and focus on lacrosse as top priority," Terry added. This weekend will be the culmination of a long season of training, which began with a six-week preseason and a spring break trip to Florida.

O'Leary has faith that the team will come together this weekend, thanks to its positive character. "One would think that it is a tall task to get 28 women to get along with one another, but they are very closely knit," O'Leary said. "There is definitely a new chemistry on the team. We brought a lot of new freshmen in this year and they have assumed a lot of responsibility and have complemented the team's progress."

Although this year's squad is larger than normal for the Yale program, both coaches and players agree that there is a strong sense of togetherness among this group. Cole echoed O'Leary's sentiment. "There are no superstars on the team," she said. "Rather, there is a unity." The Bulldogs will rely on this unity, as well as a full 60 minutes of intense play, to topple the powerhouse Princeton.

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