Yale Tops CCSU 1-0

by Tim Bennett

September 16, 2012

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women’s soccer team should enter next Saturday’s Ivy League opener against Princeton feeling quite good. The Bulldogs completed a perfect weekend with a 1-0 victory over Central Connecticut on Sunday on a beautiful afternoon at Reese Stadium.

Kristen Forster scored the only goal of the game 36:11. It was set up by Juliann Jeffrey, who sent a cross into the box that deflected off a Central defender to Forster, who chipped it in from 10 yards out.

“I thought this was one of our better games of the season,” said Yale head coach Rudy Meredith. “We connected on passes and kept possession better than we have been. I’m also very happy that we were able to get the shutout.”

Forster, who scored the game-winning goal in overtime in Friday’s win over Iona, now has three goals and three assists in her last three games and leads the team in scoring with 13 points.

The Bulldogs (5-3) have won three straight games.

Yale outshot Central 16-8 and had a 5-2 edge in corner kicks.

Goalkeepers Rachel Ames (one save) and Elise Wilcox combined on the shutout, the Bulldogs’ second of the season.

The Blue Devils (1-5) had very few high-quality scoring opportunities. Their best chance came early in the second half when Allison Kelley managed to split the Yale defense on the near side, but her shot went off the side of the net.

The Bulldogs, who have outscored their opponents 11-2 in the last three games, had two good opportunities to add an insurance goal but couldn’t capitalize. The first came off a corner kick. Frannie Coxe sent a perfect cross to Anne Song, who managed to get a shot through heavy traffic in front that was cleared away by a Central defender near the goal line.

A few minutes later Yale was awarded an indirect free kick in the box. Coxe tapped it to Meredith Speck, but Central goalkeeper Nikola Deiter stopped her shot.

“We kept our composure when we easily could have lost it,” Meredith said of not adding a second goal.

Now the Bulldogs will turn their attention to the start of Ivy play.

“We will make sure everything we do this week in practice will be to get ready for Princeton,” Meredith said.

Yale hosts the Tigers next Saturday at 3 p.m.