Field Hockey in Search of Ivy Win

A homecoming at Baker Field was rendered impossible by the installation of field turf prior to the season. A homecoming in Hempstead was drowned out by a week of rain that flooded Shuart Stadium prior to a scheduled matchup with Penn on Oct. 14. But with fan buses and an alumni game on tap, the Columbia field hockey team should finally have its "homecoming" in Hoboken, N.J. tomorrow afternoon against the Yale Bulldogs.

The increased fan presence comes at a critical time for a squad that has six non-conference victories yet faces the possibility of a winless Ivy season after a 0-5 start with just two games remaining against Ancient Eight foes.

"It's not that we don't execute well," Columbia head coach Katie Beach said after the Lions lost their fifth straight Ivy contest Wednesday night against Penn. "We're just not finding that extra bit of something to put the ball in the net. But we're going to keep working at it and find it as we prepare for our next game at Yale."

Yale, however, is also greatly in need of a victory, with just one Ivy win so far this season, against defending League champion Harvard. The Bulldogs also would like to make amends for a 1-0 overtime loss last season at the sticks of the Lions. In that game, then-sophomore Ramie Merrill scored less than two minutes into the extra session to give Columbia the victory.

Even with a loss to the Bulldogs, Columbia can still reach seven wins this weekend for just the third time in program history with a win at Rutgers on Sunday. Another non-conference victory, however, will likely provide little solace if the Lions are unable to notch their first Ivy triumph on Saturday.