NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Entering Friday night's game the Yale field hockey team had strung together three straight close wins in the series against Columbia, beating the Lions 2-1 on penalty strokes in 2018, 4-3 in overtime in 2019 and 4-2 on a pair of fourth-quarter goals in 2021. This time around, it was Columbia's turn to pull out a victory. Midfielder/back Lindsey Yu's goal at 54:23 proved to be decisive in a 2-1 Lions victory at Johnson Field.
Columbia (4-8, 2-2 Ivy League) struck first, scoring on a penalty corner as time expired at the end of the first quarter. Forward Ellie Decker tipped in back/midfielder Maya Walker's shot after a save on Walker's initial shot by Yale junior goalkeeper
Luanna Summer.
Yale (6-7, 1-3 Ivy League) tied things on a goal by first-year forward
Poppy Beales at 32:38. Beales now has three goals in the last six games after scoring one in the first seven.
The Bulldogs finished with an edge in shots (16-14) and corners (6-4), but eight saves by Columbia goalie Katie Wimmer helped make a difference for the Lions. Beales accounted for half of Yale's shots. Summer finished with four saves.
Yale returns to action Sunday, hosting Lafayette at 2:00 p.m.
