Sports Shorts

Football: Eli offense sputters, defense shines in West Coast victory

The Yale football team (2-1, 0-1 Ivy) played its first-ever game in the state of California on Sat., Oct 2, traveling 3,000 miles across the country to meet the University of San Diego Toreros.

JULIA TIERNAN/YH Rashad Bartholomew, MC '01, and the Elis are feeling good.

The Elis' 17-6 win was just one of the positives that came out of the game. Quarterback Joe Walland, TD '00, got a rest after being shaken up in the previous week's 48-2 romp over Valparaiso. Running back Rashad Bartholomew, MC '01, regained the form that he displayed at the end of last year, rushing for a season-high 94 yards and a touchdown. "Our offense did struggle a little and we had way too many penalties, but we ran the ball well enough to win," lineman Kyle Metzler, JE '02, said. Special teams completed a number of fantastic plays, including a blocked extra point by Todd Tomich, TC '01, a blocked punt by Ben Blake, PC '01, and the fake punt that Eric Johnson, JE '01, threw 21 yards for a first down to Than Merrill, JE '01.

The Elis got off to a slightly rocky start. Second-string quarterback T.J. Hyland, TC '02, struggled, after performing brilliantly two weeks ago against Valparaiso. Hyland's first pass of the game hit a Yale receiver in the numbers, bounced out, and was intercepted by a Torero defender. Hyland never recovered, missing a number of passes and throwing two other interceptions.

Despite the offense's difficulties, the Bulldog defense—the heart of this year's team—stopped the Toreros from converting any of those interceptions into points.

Third-string quarterback Peter Lee, TD '03, a transfer student from the University of Wisconsin, replaced Hyland in the second quarter. Lee's 7-for-20 performance, with an interception and a touchdown pass to Jeff Ditman, TD '02, with 4:19 to go in the third quarter, was enough to ensure victory.

The Bulldogs will travel to play at Holy Cross this weekend, before coming home to play Dartmouth on Sat., Oct. 16, in their first league contest.

—Geoff Chepiga

Women's Soccer: Bulldogs back on winning track after defeating Army

The Elis finished last week with a much-needed victory over Army and a hard-fought tie with Princeton. Against Princeton on Sat., Oct. 2, Theryn Gibbons, MC '00, scored both Yale goals, the first one off of an assist from Aly Cobbett, BR '03. Gibbons was named Ivy League Player of the Week for her efforts, and Cobbett's assist and overall play earned her a spot on the Ivy League Honor Roll.

"We came out with a very high intensity level, which is unusual because we usually do not play well at Princeton," Coach Rudy Meredith said. Princeton, however, evened the score quickly and added another goal just prior to halftime to take a 2-1 lead. Instead of letting down, the Bulldogs fought back through the entire second half, keeping the offensive pressure on the Tigers and preventing the Princeton from penetrating into the Bulldog backfield. "The defense was solid throughout the regulation period," Mere-dith said. "Sarah Peterson [PC '02] played out of her mind." Yale and Princeton battled through two overtime periods, with the Bulldogs ultimately earning a crucial tie against a strong Ivy League opponent. "This game just proved what a little heart can accomplish," Ritha Belizaire, BR '02, said. "The level of intensity could not have been any higher and that is what helped us end the game the way we did."

The Bulldogs traveled to West Point to take on Army on Wed., Oct. 6, hoping to maintain their momentum. Yale opened up the scoring early in the game with a goal on a free kick by Jennie Garver, DC '03. Chandra King, TD '03, added another goal off of an assist from Belizaire. The Elis held on in the second for a 2-1 win. "This was our best game of the season as far as creating offensive chances," Meredith said. "All of the forwards played well."

—Darcy Wiecks

Volleyball: Set to Dominate the Ivies

Despite the absence of Rosie Wustrack, TD '99, Yale's all-time leader in four different categories and the league's finest player for two years, the team has seen Captain Erica Tarin, CC '00, step up to fill her shoes. Tarin has starred in her role as a defensive specialist and as team leader.

After starting out the season with just two wins in their first five matches, the Elis have won their last seven. In the process, they have captured two tournament titles, at Bucknell and Hartford. During its winning streak, Yale has lost a grand total of only two games while averaging 14 kills, 12 assists, and 16-and-a-half digs per game.

The team took a step backward on Wed., Oct. 6, however, losing 3-0 to the University of Connecticut. Abbott had nine kills and three blocks while Coben added nine digs and two kills.

The Bulldogs open their Ivy League season as an early title favorite with a match against Princeton in Payne Whitney Gymnasium on Fri., Oct. 8. In a message to her players for the week, Coach Peg Scofield wrote, "We are looking for our little stars to shine this week, stay aggressive on every play, and begin our run for the title."

—Tony Cotto

Around the Ivies

Big Red Machine: Cornell Football

Japansensation: Brown volleyball

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