Full intensity was displayed by both teams in Quinnipiac field hockey’s 2-1 loss against the Yale Bulldogs on Thursday afternoon.

The Bobcats (4-10) and the Bulldogs (9-5) played to a standstill until the scoring began in the final minutes of the first half. Twenty-seven minutes and two seconds into the first half, the Bulldogs ended the stalemate with a goal by sophomore Erin Carter. The Bulldogs ensured their lead three minutes later with their second goal of the game by senior Katie Cantore.

The Bobcats were able to put a goal on the board just before the end of the game. Sophomore forward Kaitlyn Notarianni put the ball in the net with 36 seconds left in regulation play to avoid the shutout.

“I think Yale is a really talented team and really well disciplined and today was a little ugly,” Quinnipiac head coach Becca Kohli said. “But we’ll take this into [our next games] and hopefully it’ll be helpful in some way.”

Despite falling behind in the first half, the Bobcats never gave up. Their defense – made up of Brandy Longacre, Kimberly Cunniff, and Katie Van Nostrand – was there to stop the Bulldogs as they moved cross midfield. There were several times throughout the 70 minutes of play when the defense came up big. The defense, and goalie Jenna Grossman, stopped all nine penalty corners Yale had in the first half.

“We were lucky,” Kohli said. “I think Jenna [Grossman] has turned in a great performance, and I thought Cassie [Adams], our sweeper, played very, very well.”

Grossman finished the game with a season-high 14 saves in her 14th the start in as many games this season for Quinnipiac.

Going into the second half, intensity increased. Both teams grew more aggressive, hip-checking and attacking the ball whenever possible.

The Bulldogs continued to dominate well into the second half. With another six penalty corners. Yale was given plenty of chances to secure their victory. But the Bobcats were able to stand their ground against them, preventing Yale from any further scoring. Kohli credited her substitutes for keeping everybody fresh.

“One thing that was a real bright spot, probably one of our only bright spots, is our bench,” Kohli said. “Our bench came in and did a really nice job in terms of our legs. Our legs were gone, we’re tired, we’re mentally exhausted, and I was pleased with the second half.”

Quinnipiac will play Robert Morris in a home game on Friday at 4 p.m. and St. Francis (Pa.) on Sunday at 12 p.m. in their last two conference games of the regular season.