Still a chance for the NCAAs

After dropping two straight matches over the weekend against Duke and Notre Dame, the women's lacrosse team's (10-3, 5-1 Ivy) competitions against both Ivy foes and non-conference opponents will be crucial in determining whether or not they will make a post-season appearance in the NCAA tournament. As Captain Liz Gardner, DC '01, said, "We have backed ourselves into a corner."

MELISSA GARREN/YH Yale women's lacrosse began its season with a strong offensive drive, but fell to powerhouse Duke and unranked Notre Dame.  In order to gain a berth in the NCAA tournament, the Bulldogs need to win all of the remaining games.

Against Duke on Sat., Apr. 14, the Bulldogs managed only to score two goals as the Blue Devils out-shot them 29-17. After trailing 2-1 heading into half-time, the Elis tied the game with 25:13 left. However, Duke responded with three unanswered goals after that to win the match 5-2. Goalkeeper Amanda Sisley, JE '03, tallied 14 saves.

Facing Notre Dame on Mon., Apr. 16, the Bulldogs jumped out to an early 4-0 lead before allowing nine Fighting Irish goals en route to a 9-6 loss. Katherine Myers, PC '01, led the team in scoring, netting two goals. "We were successful in stopping their initial drives on attack; it was their second effort that allowed them to score," Gardner said. "To give Notre Dame credit, they took advantage of our mistakes and fouls."

Head Coach Amanda O'Leary admitted that the Bulldogs have some weaknesses that need to be worked out. O'Leary plans to work on limiting turnovers and working on transitions. Additionally, the offensive intensity seen early in the season against teams such as New Hampshire, Dartmouth, and Fairfield has yet to be replicated: Yale scored 13 or more goals in each of these matches. "We need to get our offense back into the rhythm we had earlier in the season if we expect to win all of our remaining games," O'Leary said. Despite the loss to Duke, O'Leary praised the team for its strong defensive showing against the aggressive Blue Devils attack. The Elis limited their opponents to only two goals, Duke's lowest single-game offensive output of the season.

The Bulldogs rebounded from their two game losing streak with a 15-6 romp over Brown on Wed., Apr. 18. Miles Whitman, BK '04, led the attack for Yale, registering a hat trick and three assists. Having energized its offense, the team headed into half time with a 9-1 lead over the Bears. The Elis are still in the running for the conference crown; a win against Cornell on Sat., Apr. 21 could determine the title, depending upon how Princeton fares over the weekend.

"I think our team has the ability to come out and beat any team on any given day if we want it bad enough," Myers added. "Our goal is to come out to each of our remaining games with confidence and desire."

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