Start Of Game Delayed More Than An Hour By Thunderstorms
t was a late night for the Yale women's soccer team in New York City, and it proved well worth it. Ciara Ostrander's goal 58 seconds into the second overtime period lifted the Bulldogs to a thrilling 1-0 victory over Fordham on a muggy night in the Bronx.
The start of the game was delayed more than an hour because of thunderstorms in New York. It was the second straight game that Yale had to wait out the weather. Sunday's 1-1 tie at Colgate began nearly 90 minutes late because of lightning in the area.
The Bulldogs and Rams played 100 minutes of very even soccer before Yale tallied the game winner.
"It was definitely a battle," said Rudy Meredith, the Loring Family and Rudolph L. Meredith head coach of the Bulldogs. "Fordham was really good in the midfield. Their formation gave us some problems because we hadn't seen it. We made some adjustments at halftime to try and open up the game."
Meredith thought one of his outside midfielders would get an opportunity, and Ostrander proved him correct on the winning play. She initially lost the ball but regained control and finished into the upper left corner, setting off a celebration on the Yale sideline.
It was Ostrander's second goal of the season and both have been game-winners.
Goalkeeper Alyssa Fagel made two saves to post the shutout.
The Bulldogs (2-2-1) finished with an 8-6 edge in shots. Fordham (1-5) had four corner kicks, while Yale had two.
The Bulldogs are back in action on Sunday when they host Marist at 1 p.m. at Reese Stadium.
Report filed by Tim Bennett (timothy.bennett@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity