Carter, McCauley Score for Yale

PRINCETON, N.J. - Yale held No. 7 Princeton's offense at bay for more than 45 minutes Saturday at Class of '52 Stadium. But when the Tigers struck, they struck decisively. Three goals in a span of 11 minutes turned a 1-0 Yale deficit into a 4-0 deficit. Goals by sophomore back Erin Carter and senior forward Ashley McCauley were not enough for a comeback as the Bulldogs fell, 5-2.

Princeton (7-1, 2-0 Ivy) entered the game with some impressive offensive performances already, including a 7-0 win over William & Mary and a 6-1 win over Dartmouth. But throughout the first half the Bulldogs hung tough -- penalty corners were even at five, though Princeton did have a 12-5 shot advantage. The lone Tiger goal came on a penalty at 6:38. Deflected by a Yale player, it was credited to midfielder Katie Reinprecht.

"I was definitely very proud of how our team went out and played Princeton strong," said Yale head coach Pam Stuper. "In the first half, neither team controlled the game. The ball could have bounced either way. But then we made a few errors, and they capitalized."

Between 46:58 and 57:15 the Tigers got goals from striker Kathleen Sharkey, striker Rachel Neufeld, and another from Reinprecht to start pulling away.

The Bulldogs answered when, during a Yale penalty corner at 60:22, a Tiger player blocked the shot with her body, leading to a penalty stroke. Stuper called on Carter and she delivered a hard shot past Tiger keeper Jennifer King.

"Erin Carter played a great game," said Stuper. "She generated attack from her good defense."

Reinprecht, a second team All-American last year, finished off her hat trick with a goal at the 69:06 mark.

"This is the best Princeton team I've seen in years," said Stuper. "The Reinprechts (Katie's sister, Julia, is a freshman on the team) are two of the best players in the country. They're tough."

Yale (4-3, 1-1 Ivy League) kept fighting until the end, and McCauley deflected in a penalty corner shot by senior back Julia Weiser with time expired for the 5-2 final.

"That last goal was a tribute to the effort our team put out there," Stuper said. "We grew in our game today and got stronger. That will make us that much better in the second half of the season."

Junior goalie Katie Bolling made a season-high 11 saves for the Bulldogs, who travel to Hofstra for a 2:00 p.m. game Sunday.

Report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity