March 13, 2008
NEW HAVEN, Conn. - No. 13 Yale fell one win short of an Ivy League title last season. The Bulldogs have five weeks to change that this season, starting with the Ivy opener Saturday at Johnson Field against the defending champions -- No. 8 Penn (Noon, GameTracker).
Yale (4-1) had a 13-game winning streak at Johnson Field snapped in its last home game, an 8-7 loss to New Hampshire. The Bulldogs bounced back from that with a swing through Massachusetts on Spring Break that started with an 11-8 win at BC and ended with an impressive 10-3 win at UMass. Senior goalkeeper Ellen Cameron (Monkton, Md.) stopped seven of the nine shots she saw against the Minutewomen to lead the defensive effort, which was also highlighted by three ground balls and a pair of caused turnovers for senior defender Jess Champion (Moorestown, N.J.).
Senior midfielder Kat Peetz (Spring Lake, N.J.) leads the Bulldogs in goals with 11 and is the only player to have scored in each game this season. Senior attacker Meredith Callahan (Chatham, N.J.) leads the team in assists with nine. She had two Wednesday in the win over UMass, part of an eight-assist day for the team -- Yale's highest total in two years.
Penn (3-1) has won three straight against Yale, including last year's 9-3 game at Franklin Field that effectively cost the Bulldogs the Ivy title. The Quakers just returned from a Spring Break trip to California, where they lost to Stanford 10-8 but rebounded with a 12-7 win at Cal.
Attacker Rachel Manson had five goals in the Cal game and leads the team with eight goals on the year. Midfielder Melissa Lehman is second with six goals and has a team-best 10 points. Midfielder Ali DeLuca, the unanimous Ivy League Rookie of the Year last season, has a team-high 12 draw controls along with four goals and three assists.
Penn's opponents are just 18 for 26 (.692) on clear attempts. The Quakers' defense is led by a pair of All-Americans, defender Hilary Renna and goalkeeper Sarah Waxman. Renna had 16 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers last season, and Waxman posted a 6.51 goals-against average.