Ryan Conroy ’24, Henry Wagner ’24 and Niklas Allain ’24 have made immediate impacts in their respective leagues. Conroy, who plays for the Adirondack Thunder ECHL in Glenn Falls, New York, leads his team in points by a defenseman. Wagner, the only American on German HEC Eisbären Heilbronn, leads the team in goals. Allain, playing in Sweden for Brödernas/Väsby, has scored three goals so far this season. 

“For me, it was never even really a question of if I was going to try and play after college,” Allain told the News. “The question was always where. It’s hard to stop doing something that’s really been a defining part of my life.”

Getting to the next level

When it came down to life after graduation, there was never any hesitation about what was next for Allain, Wagner and Conroy. A professional career had been a lifelong dream for all three, and after Yale, they were poised to make the jump. While all three had professional aspirations after the Bulldogs wrapped up their 2023-24 campaign, they each had their own unique paths to the pro ranks. 

Before his senior year, Allain inquired with a previous contact in the Yale network to organize the team’s preseason trip to Europe. That contact, who also works as a hockey agent, found a few teams that could use Allain’s size and speed up front after his graduation: one in Norway and two in Sweden. Allain turned to family history when deciding who to lace up his skates for. 

“The team I ended up choosing is actually the same team my dad played for after college in the ’80s and also where he met my mom,” said Allain. “So I think I kinda had my heart set on this team from the start and my agent helped make it happen.”

Wagner had a very similar experience to Allain. He utilized connections made throughout his collegiate career to find a team. For him, the possibility of continuing to play the game he loves and experiencing life in Europe was an opportunity he couldn’t pass up. Plus, it gave him some time to earn more personal credentials and become a stronger candidate to break into the financial services industry once his playing days are over. 

Conroy, on the other hand, started receiving pro offers in late March, right after the Yale hockey season finished. Within hours of talking to an Adirondack Thunder representative, he was packed up and on his way to Glens Falls, New York. The Thunder put Conroy right to work, and he played the remainder of the regular season with them. He ended up being a big contributor getting points on the board throughout the team’s playoff run. 

‘Entirely different from being a student-athlete’: The lifestyle of a pro 

Afternoons at Bass Library have been replaced by extra workouts, recovery sessions and the chance to explore. For all three 2024 alums, their new day-to-day includes much-appreciated downtime, something they have all been taking advantage of after four years of the Ivy League student-athlete grind. 

In his free time, Conroy has been taking online classes and making sure his body is geared for peak performance with frequent sauna sessions. 

Meanwhile, Allain has been using the extra time to immerse himself in Sweden and its culture, via day trips to Stockholm and time spent with his mom’s side of the family in their hometown, where his team is located. Allain appreciates being able to spend so much time with a part of his family he hadn’t been able to see very often when growing up in the United States. 

Likewise, Wagner has been taking in the sights and sounds of Europe. He has visited Czechia, Italy and Ireland and “had a blast” during Oktoberfest. Playing in Germany — which has a more relaxed schedule than the North American leagues, he pointed out — has given him the opportunity to traverse the continent, and he’s hoping that fellow hockey alum, Ryan Stevens ’24, will join him on his upcoming travels. 

Looking back on Yale careers 

Reflecting on their four years in New Haven, all three shared the sentiment that their time at Yale shaped them into who they are now.  

“The greatest takeaway from it is now understanding the extent of what both myself and others are capable of, given an open mind, hard work and determination,” said Conroy. “Having the opportunity to both study and play at such an amazing institution pushed me to explore and excel in so many areas I would have never thought possible, had it not been for my time at Yale.” 

Their advice to the new crop of first years on the hockey team is to make the most out of every day. The four years will go by fast, they agreed, but each said they would love to play another game at The Whale. 

“It was a special experience to play for my dad,” Allain, whose father Keith Allain ’80 coaches the men’s hockey team, said. “There’s plenty of coach’s son jokes you can make, but me and my dad got to do what we love together every single day, which was a blessing.”

In 2013, Coach Allain led Yale to its first and only NCAA men’s ice hockey championship.

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The Bulldogs looked to take down the Princeton Tigers, undefeated in the conference and number one in the Ivy League. In 20 years, Yale field hockey has never beaten Princeton.

At the beginning of the match, it looked like that losing streak could end. The Bulldogs controlled the momentum of the game from the first period. Led by Ymre Massee ’28 and Ellie Barlow ’25, Yale posted a 6–1 shot advantage, putting pressure on the Tigers early on. 

Within both the first and second periods, Alexa Pitts ’25 held Princeton, a team known for their ability to put goals on the board, scoreless. Pitts had two saves in the first half and six total, one shy of tying a career-high.

The Yale critical defensive play happened midway through the third quarter. Pitts made a tough save, kicking away a shot from a Tiger player, and the follow-up shot hit the post and was cleared away by Hettie Whittington ’27. The game remained scoreless heading into the final quarter.

The Bulldogs’ last scoring chance came during a penalty corner early in the fourth quarter. Yale could not convert. 

Princeton was awarded a penalty corner with three minutes left in the game. During the corner, a shot from a Tiger player was blocked by the body of Colette Staadecker ’25, a crucial save, but after video review, Princeton was awarded a stroke. 

Princeton selected Beth Yaeger, the NFHCA National Offensive Player of the Week, to attempt the stroke. Yaeger snuck the ball past Pitts, which put the Tigers up 0–1. This would be the game’s only goal.

This 0–1 loss marked the first time Princeton was held to one goal or less since Oct. 6, a testament to the Bulldogs’ skill and determination.

“Missing the tournament was devastating,” Lauren Venter ’26 wrote to the News. “We worked incredibly hard toward that goal every single day. Although the final outcome wasn’t what we felt we deserved, I’m incredibly proud of our growth and all that this team has accomplished. We took down top-20 programs and fought hard against some of the best teams in the country. We reached milestones, achieving the most program wins in a season since 2018. This is just the beginning—we’ll come back stronger and more focused, ready to build on this season’s achievements.”

With the loss to Princeton, Yale fell to fourth in the Ivy League, tied with Cornell. Their fate, now out of their hands and into the paws of the Columbia Lions, proved bleak. 

On Sunday, Columbia (6–9, 3–4 Ivy) beat Dartmouth (3–13, 0–7 Ivy) and secured the fourth and final spot in the Ivy League tournament, closing this season’s chapter for Yale Field Hockey.

With the end of the season, the team says goodbye to seven seniors: Barlow, Keely Comizio ’25, Julia Freedman ’25, Nicole Gotthardt ’25, Pitts, Lily Ramsey ’25 and Staadecker.

“Something I loved about the 2024 season was having the chance to be on the field with my entire class, who are also my best friends,” Pitts wrote to the News. “It’s been incredible to play alongside them, sharing both the highs and the lows. Knowing this was our last season together made every game and every practice feel that much more meaningful.”

The Bulldogs finish their season with an overall record of 10–6 and a winning percentage of .625.

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Each senior, escorted by their family, walked onto Johnson Field for the last conference game of their career. The team acknowledged the contributions made by the senior class and then got straight to work against the Lions.

Both teams failed to score in the first half, but combined for a total of five goals during the final half with the ultimate score resulting in a 2–3 Bulldogs loss. The Columbia goalkeeper had nine saves throughout the game, seven of which were during the first half.

That being said, the Bulldogs still scored first, with a penalty corner at the 32 minute mark. Hettie Whittington ’27 slid a pass to Ellie Barlow ’25 near the post, and she was able to convert that into the first goal of the game. This rounds out Barlow’s goals for the season to a career-high five.

The Lions found an answer not long after and were able to score two goals in quick succession of one another, giving them a 1–2 lead by the 41 minute mark. However, the Bulldogs made quick work of responding, with Victoria Collee ’28 firing a shot past the Lions’ keeper to even the score before the start of the fourth quarter. This was Collee’s fourth goal of her first-year campaign.

Chiara Picciafuoco ’28 was almost able to give the Elis the lead early in the fourth quarter, but her shot deflected off the post.

The Columbia offense was able to convert a blocked shot into a go-ahead goal with seven minutes remaining. The Bulldogs spent most of the remainder of the game on offense but couldn’t quite come up with a goal.

Six of the last seven games between the Bulldogs and the Lions have been decided by one goal or shootout. With the loss, the Bulldogs fell to 9–5 and 3–3 in conference play. 

After the tough blow on Friday, the Bulldogs had to turn around and face No. 19 Temple (9–7, 4–2 Big East) on Sunday. This was the final home game of the regular season for Yale.

The last time these two teams met at their inaugural matchup, Yale beat the Owls 1–0. Now, they were ready to do it again.

The first half was all Ymre Massée ’28. The first year who had the first goal of her career against Lehigh and the second against Dartmouth, doubled her career statistics in this one game.

At 9:36 in the first quarter, Whittington passed the ball to Massée, who quickly turned to face the goal and get the ball out from next to her stick. She then flung it high past the soaring, defensive arms of the Temple goalie, securing the first goal of the game for the Bulldogs. On a sunny October day, the crowd immediately got on their feet.

Shortly after the second quarter began, the first years went to work. At 17:37, an assist from Collee found Massée’s swinging stick, notching yet another goal for Yale early in the game. 

This would not be the final goal. 

In the fourth period, Julia Freedman ’25 was able to make yet another victory lap around the Owls using Whittington’s second assist of the game. Freedman deflected the ball into the back of the net off a penalty corner at 56:07.

This put the game out of reach for the Owls, concluding shortly after with a Bulldog home victory 3–0. This was the first top–20 win of the season for Yale.

Lauren Venter ’26 told the News that the win was necessary to propel the team forward before facing No. 13 Princeton (11–4, 6–0 Ivy).

“Our win over Temple was the team win we needed,” she said. “We stepped onto the field focused and took care of business. It was the perfect tune-up before facing Princeton, and we’ll bring the same must-win mentality into that game.”

Looking to secure a bid for the Ivy League tournament, Yale plays their final game of the regular season against Princeton on Saturday, Nov. 2, at 12 p.m in New Jersey.

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Harvard entered the game undefeated in the Ivy League and on a five game winning streak. 

The Crimson grabbed the lead just before the end of the first quarter, with a goal at the 13 minute mark securing a 0–1 lead. In the second quarter, the Crimson netted two more goals within seven minutes of each other to take a commanding 0–3 lead. 

Lauren Venter ’26 finally put Yale on the scoreboard in the 41st minute, deflecting a long pass from Hettie Whittington ’27 to bring the score to 1–3. This was Venter’s third goal of the season, tripling her total from last year. Despite their early goals, Harvard was held scoreless for the entire second half of the game as the Bulldogs’ defense held steady.

Neither team had a shot on goal in the final quarter, and the Bulldogs fell to the Crimson with a final score of 1–3. This was Harvard’s twelfth straight Ivy League regular season win. The Crimson had a 12–7 shot advantage, and this game was only the second time this season Yale allowed more than two goals.

With this loss, the Bulldogs fell to 1–2 in the Ivy League, putting them in a four-way tie with Columbia, Cornell and UPenn for fourth place in the conference.

After the tough defeat in Cambridge, the Bulldogs quickly turned around to face Monmouth at their home field in West Long Branch, New Jersey. 

Before the team ventured to the Jersey Shore, Head Coach Melissa Gonzalez wanted to ensure her team reflected on their successes against the Crimson.

“I want our team to recognize the competitive moments we had against a talented top ten opponent,” she wrote to the News. “It’s important to take away those lessons and apply them in practice this week and for the rest of season.”

This was the first ever matchup between Monmouth and Yale. Monmouth returned home to this contest on a three-game losing streak: one the Bulldogs looked to extend.

Gonzalez wanted her team to understand the Hawks as a unit, but also focus on their own game plan.

“Going into Monmouth, our strategy focused on understanding their tendencies and how they aligned with our own style of play,” she wrote. “While we always assess each opponent we play against, our core playing principles remain consistent but flexible in application.”

Once on the pitch, the first and second quarters were relatively quiet. Although both sides forced the goalies to make saves, neither could find the back of the net before the half rolled around.

Whatever Monmouth Head Coach Carli Figlio told her team during the break seemed to resonate because Bulldog goalkeeper Alexa Pitts ’25 immediately had her work cut out for her once back on the field. She made two saves within the first two minutes of the third quarter before a penalty corner gave the Hawks the momentum they needed to sink the first goal of the game. 

Not long after, another penalty corner awarded Monmouth a second opportunity to extend their lead, pushing past Pitts’ steady defense and driving a goal home. Within only two minutes, the Hawks had established a 0–2 lead.

Despite multiple penalty corners for Yale, no one on the Bulldogs’ offense could muster a goal before the end of the third quarter came to a close.

At the start of the fourth quarter, around 51 minutes into the game, Yale put immense pressure on Monmouth’s defense, pummeling them with consecutive shots. After her first shot missed high, Poppy Beales ’26 took advantage of an assist from Victoria Collee ’28 and cut the deficit in half, 1–2.

The Elis’ offense continued to batter the Hawks with shot after shot as the clock ticked down. With less than 20 seconds left in the game, a shot by Emma Ramsey ’27 appeared to even the score, sending fans at “So Sweet A Cat” Field to their feet. However, it just bounced off the crossbar of the goal, and the Hawks’ defense was able to corral the ball long enough to win.

The final score ended in a loss for the Bulldogs, 1–2, but the Bulldogs are keeping their heads high. 

“We will use it to fuel us into our Friday game,” Colette Staadecker ’25 wrote to the News. “We are working to play our game. It is important to keep it simple and stay composed in our circles.”

Yale Field Hockey stays home this weekend to host Cornell University (3–6, 1–2 Ivy) on Friday, Oct. 11 at 6 p.m.

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The Bulldogs (6–2, 1–1 Ivy) edged past the University of Pennsylvania (1–7, 0–2 Ivy) on Friday at Johnson Field in a thrilling overtime game. On Sunday, the Bulldogs took down Quinnipiac University (2–8, 0–2 Big East). With these two victories, Yale’s overall record of 6–2 is the team’s best start since 1998.

“This season, we’re on a mission to rewrite the history books and take down the Ivy teams that beat us last year,” Hettie Whittington ’27 wrote to the News. “Penn was the first—now we have five more regular season games to set things right.” 

On Friday, the Quakers struck first, with a goal sending them up 0–1 just before the 15 minute mark. Poppy Beales ’26 hit back at the 26 minute mark, tying the game 1–1. Beales received a long pass from Captain Keely Comizio ’25, before firing a shot past the Penn goalkeeper.

With six minutes left in regulation, Colette Staadecker ’25 had a critical save, deflecting a Penn penalty corner, and the game went into extra time.

Just over five minutes into overtime, Beales caught a pass from Chiara Picciafuoco ’28 in stride and backhanded the ball straight past the Quaker’s goalkeeper, winning the game for the Bulldogs 2–1.

Beales now has five career game-winning goals, all in the last 13 games. 

“I try to keep my mentality the same for every game,” Beales wrote to the News. “But I think for conference games there’s always more of a competitiveness to win so that helps me do my part on the pitch and hopefully score!”

This is the fifth time in seven games the Elis have held an opponent to one or no goals, highlighting their strong defense. Yale held Penn scoreless the final 51:20 of the game.

Whittington wrote to the News on the team’s mindset for the remainder of the regular season as they prepare to take on #11 Harvard on Oct. 4.

“Every game in the Ivy League will be a battle; nothing is guaranteed. As a team, we talk a lot about how we can control the game’s momentum and stay consistent for the full 60 minutes. On Friday, we didn’t play our best, but we still found a way to win,” she wrote. “The next step for us is to deliver our best performance across all four quarters, and I believe if we do that, we have a real shot at upsetting #11 Harvard.”

Following their match against Penn, the team only had one day to rest before turning to face Quinnipiac on Sunday, Sept. 29. Head Coach Melissa Gonzalez wanted to ensure that her team made the most of their off day, prioritizing “recovery and growth.”

“Regardless of outcomes, we stick to our processes, which include reviewing film, participating in active release sessions and performing targeted exercises on pitch,” Gonzalez wrote. “We’ve found that this structure has helped us maintain our performance while preparing effectively for our matches.”

The next day, the Bobcats traveled down to New Haven. The Bobcats have been unsuccessful in their matchup against the Bulldogs three years in a row, having not won a game since 2021.

The first period put both team’s defenses on display. Although the amount of shots taken by Yale significantly outnumbered their opponent’s, neither team could close in on the goal. Then, Lily Ramsey ’25, weaving through defenders, passed to newcomer Victoria Collee ’28, who drove the ball home. Going into the half, the Bulldogs held a tight lead, 1–0.

The third period showcased the Bulldogs’ offensive prowess. After being granted a penalty stroke, Whittington secured a 2–0 lead for Yale when her shot escaped the reach of the Bobcat goalie. Not long after, another first-year, Picciafuoco, got her opportunity to extend the Yale lead with her second goal of the season. Finally, to cap off the roar of Bulldogs capitalizing on offensive momentum, a turnover and drive down the field by Beales led to a 4–0 lead when she passed to teammate Lauren Venter ’26, whose shot passed by the goalie much too fast to save. 

Although the Bobcats would rally the troops and score twice before the game ended, it could not offset the powerhouse that was the third period. 

Comizio wrote to the News that the key to a high-scoring period is trusting that success will come and relying on each other.

“We stayed consistent with our play and never got down,” she wrote. “We knew the goals would come eventually, so we just kept pushing. We focused on encouraging each other and maintaining our effort.”

After the weekend, the Ivy League named Beales as Offensive Player of the Week. With her two goals against Penn and her assist against Quinnipiac, she now has 12 points on the season, placing her second overall in the Ivy League.

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The Bulldogs scored with a rebound off of the opposing goalie’s pads from senior Lily Ramsey ’25 in the game’s first minute. 

The rest of the game was a defensive masterclass from the Elis, with Fairfield’s having a 10–7 shot advantage throughout the game. Despite the Stags’ 11 penalty corners, the Bulldogs held strong with help from goalie Alexa Pitts ’25, who had her first career shutout. Fairfield’s last chance at scoring came from a corner in the final 15 seconds of the game, but due to the Bulldogs’ tough defense, they sent the ball out of bounds as the clock expired. Ramsey’s goal in the opening 30 seconds remained the only point on the board.

Pitts wrote to the News about the team’s mindset during defensive games. “There definitely wasn’t a mentality switch in the game on Friday,” she wrote. “The mentality is always to play as a team, support each other and play our game.”

This was the fourth straight game against the Stags, which was decided by one goal, but the first in which  Yale came out victorious. This was the first of four games against rival Connecticut teams. The Bulldogs will face Sacred Heart (2–4, 1–0 NEC), Quinnipiac (2–4, 0–0 Big East) and UConn (5–1, 0–0 Big East), ranked 16th, later in the yearly campaign.

Head Coach Melissa Gonzalez wrote to the News about her team’s ability to grow. 

“As the season progresses, I hope we see continued growth in both our attacking and defensive strategies,” Gonzalez wrote. “Our team is incredibly coachable and receptive to feedback, which sets a strong foundation for improvement.”

That Sunday, the undefeated Bulldogs played their first Ivy League matchup of the season against Brown University (1–3, 1–0 Ivy) at home at Yale’s Johnson Field. Yale sought their seventh straight win against the Bears. 

The battle proved to be hot and intense, both in outside temperature — with spectators fanning themselves in the stands — and in fervor on the field. 

Despite multiple shots on goal from each team, the first half remained scoreless. At the start of the third period, about 35 seconds in, Hettie Whittington ’27 received a pass from teammate Poppy Beales ’26 and scored, putting the Elis up by one. Yale found themselves able to maintain this lead going into the fourth quarter, thanks to a save by Pitts.

However, the Bulldogs were not out of the dark just yet. Just five minutes before the end of the regular period, Brown tied the game with a goal by Juliette Meijaard, sending the match into overtime. 

Though both teams put up a strong fight, the first overtime ended with nothing to show for it. As the second overtime rolled around, the question of which team could pull through and secure victory remained.

At 70:53 in the game, a yellow card on Beales awarded a penalty corner for the Bears, giving them the opportunity to score. With a goal by Brown’s Katie McCallum, the Bulldogs took their first loss of the season in a devastatingly hard-fought battle.

Gonzalez wrote to the News about her team’s execution.

“We were impressed by our team’s ability to maintain possession and implement the press,” Gonzalez wrote. “We created quality team opportunities from these two areas. We look forward to building on this performance throughout the remainder of the season.”

The Bulldogs remain at home to face Sacred Heart University on Friday, Sept. 20. 

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Yale needed the win over the Tigers to send them to the Ivy League tournament. On Friday night, they looked to secure the victory. 

Team Captain Ashley Kim ’24 told the News the team had perseverance through this season.

“This season was a true testament to our resilience,” she said. “We played top-ten teams, top-twenty and didn’t always get the results we wanted, but we fought every second of the way with heart and belief.”

The Friday night game proved to be a battle from the moment it began. Poppy Beales ’26 had two shots in the first period, followed by a Lauren Venter ’26 shot in the second period which was saved by Princeton’s goalie. Though both teams took swings, neither could hit until 50:43, when Princeton’s Talia Schenck scored. 

In the blink of an eye, the Bulldogs did what they had done many times before this season: they rallied back. Less than two minutes after the Princeton goal, Hettie Whittington ’27 took a Keely Comizio ’25 assist straight to the net. As the fourth period ended and the game rolled into overtime, both teams had a shot at the Ivy League Tournament in sight.

The Tigers came out strong in overtime and dominated the ball. Despite saving a penalty corner shot at 60:40, the ball got past goalkeeper Luanna Summer ’24 at 60:51 and Princeton emerged victorious.

Comizio told the News that despite the tough end, she is hopeful for next season.

“My hopes for next season are to continue to build the program and level of play like we have been doing the past two years,” she said. “We didn’t end up where we wanted to be this year, but we are really proud of the growth and the commitment we made. We are looking forward to next season as we continue to build and hopefully get the results we want.”

Though not the way they hoped it would end, the Bulldogs had a successful season. In conference, they went 3–4 with 2 wins in overtime. They extended their overall win streak against Dartmouth (6–9, 2–5 Ivy) to seven, and extended both win streaks against Columbia (3–13, 0–7 Ivy) and Brown (6–10, 1–6 Ivy) to six.

Head coach Melissa Gonzalez told the News of her pride for her team and their commitment to hard work.

“I’m proud of this team’s growth mindset and commitment to the process,” she said. “Each person on the team put in the work to improve themselves and the team. Regardless of the opponent, result, weather or situation they continually showed up every day and worked to better their best. It takes a lot of character and I can’t say enough good things about this group as hockey players and more importantly as people.”

Yale field hockey will lose five seniors graduating after this season, including Summer and Kim. Summer played every game this season in goal, and Kim concluded her captaincy with the team having started 15 of 16 games. 

Kim told the News that although she will not be with the team any longer, her expectations are still high.

“[I hope] they continue this journey with Coach Melissa to rebuild the Yale Field Hockey legacy and come out on top with an Ivy League title!” she said. “I have very big expectations as they’ve worked so hard and proven that they are true competitors of the sport.”

Katie So ’24, Maddy Wong ’24 and Julia Fortier ’24 also exit with the season. So played in 15 games this season, while Fortier added on to over 350 career minutes played. Wong leaves having assisted two overtime wins at Dartmouth and Richmond (7–11, 2–5 A10) this season alone. 

Gonzales also said she is looking forward to the team’s growth next season.

“I’m looking forward to the continued growth and development of the team,” she said to the News. “This team has welcomed every challenge they’ve been given. Our goals are the same: to control the controllable and get 1 percent better every day.”

The Bulldogs will continue to train after some time off and look to continue their improvement for next season. 

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The Bulldogs, coming off a win against Dartmouth (5–9, 1–5 Ivy), looked to extend their win streak against the Columbia Lions at the Columbia Field Hockey Stadium in New York City.

Alexa Pitts ’25 told the News the team had a lot of energy coming into the game on Friday.

“The sentiments going into our game were electric,” she said. “There was only one way that we were willing to leave the field Friday night and it was with a win.”

The Friday night game began in the rain with little action in the first half. Four different Bulldogs took shots, but to no avail. The Lions’ goalkeeper had six saves against the aggressive Blue and White.  Meanwhile, the Bulldogs fouled the Lions eighteen times, who returned the favor nineteen times.

The Bulldogs found success in the fourth period. With 4:22 left in regulation, Poppy Beales ’26 took the game-winning shot off a blocked penalty corner by Colette Staadecker ’25. This is Beales’ second consecutive game-winner, leading the team with nine goals this season. Columbia only had one shot on goal, which was saved by goalkeeper Luanna Summer ’24.

Pitts said that their efforts in practice allowed them to be successful on the field.

“We’ve put a lot of emphasis on practicing the way we play,” she said. “We work really hard in practice so it noticeably pays off when we get to a game. When it came to making adjustments mid-game, we really wanted to focus on keeping things simple and doing what had been working.”

The following Sunday, the Bulldogs headed home to Johnson Field to battle the Richmond Spiders.

Richmond jumped out early against the Blue and White in the second period, scoring two goals within a minute of each other at 15:22 and 16:13.  

Keely Comizio ’25 said that initially falling behind motivated them to compete.

“Getting scored on first forced us to find motivation to win the game, but we had trust in each other that we would get it done,” she said. “After that, we played with a lot more urgency and fire, allowing us to pull out the win.”

At 54:09, forward/midfielder Lauren Venter ’26 began the comeback with a penalty corner goal, followed shortly after by another penalty corner goal, this time from Hettie Whittington ’27. At the end of the fourth period, tied 2–2, the Bulldogs showed the resiliency they had proven in the past few games. 

Then, at 60:51, Beales took a Maddy Wong ‘24 assist and drove it off the corner and into the goal. This is her fourth game-winning shot of the season. Beales and Venter both led the team with 4 shots. 

This is the second time in three games that Beales has ended the game with a winning shot off an assist from Wong. Beales told the News that their relationship has allowed her to excel on the field.

“My relationship with Maddy Wong has been really on, especially in the last three games,” she said. “Her timing on the pass in the Richmond game was perfect to give me enough time to get the shot off.”

Beales added that the team is looking forward to playing against Princeton this Friday, Oct. 27. 

That game will determine who takes the final spot in the Ivy League tournament.

“The team is so excited for the game,” Beales told the News. “It is set up perfectly as the last game of the season and the winner-take-all for the final spot in the Ivy tournament. We are going to give it our all and hope that we get the win!”

In their final game of the regular season, the Bulldogs face the Princeton Tigers (6–8, 4–2 Ivy) for their senior game at home at Johnson Field. 

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After a loss against Cornell University (10–3, 4–1 Ivy) last Saturday, the Bulldogs looked to earn another win on the road to the Ivy League tournament. One spot remains in the tournament, alongside Harvard (10–3, 5–0 Ivy), Cornell and UPenn (6–7, 4–1 Ivy), which have already secured spots.

Ellie Barlow ’25 told the News that the team was driven by the prospect of extending its season.

“Going into the game we were all pretty motivated,” Barlow said. “We knew that to make the Ivy tournament we would have to win, so we all really wanted this win to keep our season going.”

The first period began quickly with shots by Emma Ramsey ’27 and Lily Ramsey ’25, 04:13 and 07:43 minutes into the game, respectively, but neither team found themselves able to score. 

The Big Green struck first during the second period with a shot and goal by Lucia Campano 22:27 minutes into the game.

Barlow said the team was confident enough not to worry about the opposing goal.

“The goal was a bit of a breakaway for them, so I think it was just having confidence that we were playing the better game and the goal would come for us,” she said.

The third period saw the Bulldogs’ response, which came as a Colette Staadecker ’25 goal, evening the score at 1–1. Staadecker’s second goal of the season was assisted by Keely Comizio ’25 and Barlow.

The game quieted from there, with both teams taking shots but failing to hit. The Bulldogs outshot Dartmouth 14 to 5, with 8 shots on goal, slowly adding pressure throughout the game. Almost every Bulldog on the field took at least one shot, with Poppy Beales ’26 taking the most with 6. 

Despite the pressure on net from both sides, the Big Green and the Blue and White pushed into overtime.

Lily Ramsey told the News that acknowledging mistakes and adapting to the opponent allowed them to succeed.

“After the first goal, we came together and reassured ourselves that there was still a lot of time left to play,” she said. “We acknowledged our mistakes but moved on from them quickly as we knew that we were capable of dominating the game if we just played strong and composed two-touch hockey. In the second half, we adjusted to Dartmouth’s play by being more aggressive on our press and having an intercepting mindset, which allowed us to play more on the front foot.”

Just two minutes into overtime, Beales scored on an assist from Maddy Wong ’24, sealing the win for the Bulldogs. 

The goal was Beales’ second overtime game-winner in just 10 days; she was also the hero of the team’s last game against Brown. Beales talked about the momentum of the team with the News.

“Going into overtime, it felt like the momentum was with us having played better in the second half and scoring to tie the game,” she said. “We knew what we had to do and [we] all stepped back out there ready to give it all to get the win.”

With three regular season games left, the Bulldogs head to New York next to face the Columbia Lions (3–10, 0–5 Ivy).

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In a tight match, the Blue and White fell to the Big Red for their last game of the season with a final score of 1–0. Cornell scored the lone goal of the game in the second half. After a hard-fought season, the Bulldogs finished sixth in the Ivy League. 

“Even though the game didn’t go our way, we had fun out there because it was the last time this team would play together,” Julia Freedman ’25 said. “Every one of us left it all out on the field, which is all you can ask for.” 

The beginning of the first period began with an aggressive push by the Bulldogs, but no goals were scored for either team in the first.  

Two minutes into the first period, Lily Ramsey ’25 attempted a wide shot. A minute later, Ellie Barlow ’25 took two back-to-back penalty corners. In the next two minutes, Barlow took three more penalty corners, while Theodora Dillman ’23 and Ashley Kim ’24 took a shot each. 

The Bulldogs outshot the Big Red in the first period with four shots to two. Cornell turned it around after the first period and ended up outshooting the Bulldogs for the rest of the game. The Big Red had 12 shots with five on net while the Bulldogs finished the game with seven shots, three on net. 

Bulldogs’ goalie Luanna Summer ’24 played in every game for the Blue and White this season. 

“What I’m most proud of regarding this season is the growth that was achieved throughout this season and the grit shown,” Summer wrote to the News. “Although the season had its ups and downs, everyone still showed up and fought during every game. We really built a great foundation for spring training and I’m excited to start work in the spring.”

Kim, Dillman and Freedman were the only Bulldogs to take a shot on net. Each attempted one shot on goal during the game against the Big Red, with Freedman’s attempt coming in the second period.  

While the Bulldogs fell to Cornell for their final game, their last two games against University of Pennsylvania (7–10, 4–3 Ivy) and Dartmouth College (3–14, 0–7 Ivy) were hard-fought wins. The Blue and White beat UPenn 3–2 in an overtime thriller and Dartmouth 2–1. 

“We learned how strong we are, especially when we work together and stick together,” Alexa Pitts ’25 said. “I think the sky is the limit with this group of girls, and we’re ready to put in the work in the off-season.”

After their week off, the Bulldogs will get right back into training to prepare for upcoming scrimmages and the 2023-24 season. 

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