Game at No. 18 Cornell Offers No. 14 Bulldogs Final Chance to Make Statement :: Yale 7-1 in its Last Eight Games, Hoping for NCAA Tournament Bid

April 17, 2008

After starting the season 4-3, the No. 14 Yale Bulldogs have been stating their case for a berth in the NCAA tournament by winning seven of their last eight games. Saturday at No. 18 Cornell (1:00 p.m.) marks their last chance to add to that case. There is also much at stake for the Big Red, which brings a four-game winning streak into the game and will be celebrating Senior Day.

With a win the Bulldogs (11-4, 4-2 Ivy League) would reach the 12-win plateau for the 11th time in program history. That mark might have seemed unlikely just a month ago, when Yale dropped two straight games in which it was outscored 20-11. But starting with a 9-8 overtime win at Dartmouth, the Bulldogs have been racking up some impressive numbers. They have outscored their opponents 106-56 in that eight-game stretch while also winning the ground ball battle 104-78 and causing 67 turnovers. They have limited their opponents to a .538 (42 for 78) performance on clear attempts.

Senior midfielder Lauren Taylor (Manhasset, N.Y.) has led the way offensively. She has an Ivy League-best 39 goals and 57 points. Three players -- senior attacker Meredith Callahan (Chatham, N.J.) (16-17-33), junior midfielder Jenn Warden (Edgemont, Pa.) (26-6-32) and senior midfielder Kat Peetz (Spring Lake, N.J.) (26-6-32) -- are all within a point of each other for second on the team in scoring.

Senior goalkeeper Ellen Cameron (Monkton, Md.) leads a Yale defense that is fifth in the country (7.42 goals allowed per game). Cameron has a .459 save percentage on the season.

Yale is 19-10 all-time against Cornell. The Bulldogs won last year's game 13-8, getting a season-high 15 saves from Cameron along with four goals each from Taylor and junior midfielder Taylor Fragapane (Cockeysville, Md.). Four of the last five games in the series have been wins for Yale.

Cornell (8-4, 3-2 Ivy League) features three players on offense with All-Ivy resumes, none of whom top five-foot-five in height. Attacker Courtney Farrell is the lone 20-20 player in the league (21 goals, 23 assists) so far this season. She also has 19 ground balls and 12 draw controls. She and midfielder Katherine Simmons (26-8-34) were both first team All-Ivy picks last year, while midfielder Noelle Dowd (28-8-36) was an honorable mention selection. Those three are part of a group of seven Big Red seniors that will be honored at this game's Senior Day ceremony.

Draws have been a strength for the Big Red, as Cornell holds a 151-114 edge in that category. That is part of the reason why Farrell and Simmons both have the NCAA record for quickest goal at the start of a game (eight seconds), a mark that Farrell set last year and Simmons tied a week ago in a 17-9 win over Brown. Farrell also had a goal 11 seconds into Cornell's last game, a 15-6 win over Loyola.

Goalkeeper Kristen Reese has started each game during the Big Red's four-game winning streak and eight games overall. She has a .462 save percentage and a 9.51 goals-against average. Renee Hughes (.448, 7.74) has nine starts.

While Yale's regular season ends with this game, there are games involving other teams through May 4 that will impact the Bulldogs' chances of earning an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. Six conferences (American Lacrosse Conference, Atlantic 10 Conference, Atlantic Coast Conference, Big East, Colonial Athletic Association and the Ivy League) receive automatic qualification berths for the tournament. Four other conferences (Northeast Conference winner at the America East Conference winner, Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference winner at the Patriot League winner) will compete in two play-in games for the final two automatic qualification berths. That leaves eight at-large berths for teams such as Yale.

The NCAA tournament selection show takes place Monday, May 5.

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