The regular season is winding down for the No. 13 Yale women's lacrosse team, and the Bulldogs are trying to state their case for an at-large berth in the NCAA tournament. Wednesday's game against Columbia at Johnson Field made it clear that the Yale senior class wants to extend its final season. The Class of 2008 accounted for 10 goals -- including four each from attacker Meredith Callahan and midfielder Lauren Taylor, along with two from midfielder Kat Peetz -- to help the Bulldogs to a 16-8 win. Taylor also had five assists, tying her career high with nine points.

"That was senior leadership," said Laura Field, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. "You can see it in the stats -- 10 goals from seniors. We had to rebound from a tough game on Saturday, and they helped us do that."

Yale (9-4, 3-2 Ivy League) showed no signs of aftereffects from its 9-6 loss at No. 2 Princeton, racing out to a 6-0 lead in the first 15 minutes of this game.

"It was really important to set the tone," Field said. "One of the things we have talked about was getting games in hand quickly, especially since every game has NCAA tournament implications. We did not want to give Columbia a chance to get going."

Sophomore attacker Jessica Sturgill started the streak by putting a low shot on goal that Columbia goalie Emma Mintz got a piece of, only to have it trickle past her and in at the 23:23 mark. A minute later Callahan bounced in a free-position shot.

Senior goalkeeper Ellen Cameron's save on a free-position shot by the Lions, one of three saves on the day for her, helped jump-start Yale's next possession. Taylor came away with the ground ball, and at the other end of the field her short pass hit junior attacker Linden Ellis in stride on her way to the goal to make it 3-0 Yale. That was the 229th point of Taylor's career, moving her past Miles Whitman '04 and into sole possession of second on Yale's career list behind Tracy Ball '81 (271).

Taylor then buried a free-position shot to extend the lead. Senior defender Katie Wiacek got the draw control after that goal, and she got the ball to Taylor. Taylor drew the attention of the defense as she headed towards the goal, enabling her to pass to a wide-open Callahan in front for a 5-0 lead.

"Lauren did a great job feeding the ball and scoring," Field said. "To have five assists and four goals is about as diverse a game as you can get."

The Bulldogs caught the Lions in transition for their next goal, as Ellis converted a pass from Peetz for her 14th goal of the year -- twice as many as she had in the two previous seasons combined. Columbia (3-8, 0-6 Ivy) finally disrupted the Yale run on a Holly Glynn goal at 14:57. Peetz added another goal, on a Taylor assist, a minute after that Lion goal.

While the seniors were a focal point of the game, the Bulldogs also utilized the chance to work in the players they hope will provide a foundation for years to come. Freshman midfielder Ariana Papier took a pass from Taylor and caught just about everyone by surprise by flipping the ball behind her head and past Mintz at 13:01 to make it 8-1.

Marisa Marcellino, Columbia's all-time leading scorer, scored on a free-position shot at 10:30. That was Marcellino's lone goal of the day, thanks in large part to the work of senior defender Jess Champion.

"We wanted to limit what Marisa Marcellino could do, and Jess Champion did that," said Field. "Columbia is a very athletic team with three very strong attackers, and she is one of them. Holding her to one goal was an accomplishment."

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2008-04-10