Yale had made its best challenge at the lead during a sequence beginning with 20:00 remaining in the second half, when it tried four consecutive penalty corners, but could not convert on any of them.

Cowan made two pad saves, including a dive to her left to kick away a shot by the Bulldogs' Anne Rippetoe.

"Anya was brilliant today," Caples said. "It was messy, it was hectic, and everyone was in there in front of the goal. On those corners, we were caught standing around, I would even say spectating, and for us the challenge is to stay mentally focused and cut down the length of those kind of lapses."

Ingram and Nagle provided needed offensive punch after a consistent Yale double-team of Kalil--the third-best scorer in the Ivy with four goals and five assists--kept her production to a minimum.

"Dominique is a marked player now," Caples said. "Every team we play know how dangerous she is."

Hilary Walton put the exclamation point on the shutout when, with about 2:30 remaining in the game, she drew Amanda Walton in a one-on-one rush from the left sideline to the cage. Hilary Walton came in close on her sister and poked the ball away about 10 yards from the cage, drawing a roar of appreciation.

"Hilary Walton did a great job on No. 23 [Amanda Walton]--she's just a number, we don't use her name," Caples joked. "That's a tough match-up, but she handled it well."

Notes