With its chances of securing the Ivy League's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament fading, Dartmouth's women's lacrosse team needs a strong finish to secure an at-large bid. And after two consecutive dominant performances this week, the Dartmouth women appear poised to make a late-season run.
On Wednesday, the No. 12 Big Green upended No. 8 Boston University 11-5 at Scully-Fahey Field in the season's second-to-last home game. The win comes hot on the heels of Dartmouth's 15-5 rout of the hosting and then higher-ranked Princeton on Saturday.
"I'm not surprised at all at the way we've been playing. I'm just really impressed," Kristen Barry '08 said. "I think it's great that we're peaking now rather than at the beginning of the season."
Barry has had a lot to do with the Big Green's recent success. In Dartmouth's four-game winning streak, she has scored 12 goals, four each against Princeton and Boston University.
Annie Leibovitz '06 opened the scoring for Dartmouth (10-4, 5-2 Ivy) only three minutes into the Boston University game. A little later, the Terriers (12-4, 4-1 America East) evened the score at 1-1, but the game would not remain close for long.
The Big Green countered with three straight goals, one each from Casey Hazel '06, Jen Pittman '07 and Whitney Douthett '07. Dartmouth led 4-2 at halftime and kept the lead for the rest of the game.
Pittman, Douthett and Sarah Szefi '07 scored the first three goals of the second half, and Barry recorded the last four goals for the Big Green, whose lead swelled to 8-2.
After the game, Barry attributed her late-game scoring spree to BU's over-aggressive defense as time wound down.
"We were in somewhat of a stall," she said. "The other team pressured out and just created doubles all over the field leaving someone open. And I just happened to be the one who was always left open."
Dartmouth's Devon Wills '06 had a great game in net despite playing with the stomach flu.
"She was at Dick's House right up until game time," head coach Amy Patton said. "And it was honestly probably her best game of the season."
But Wills, who allowed just four goals, was only one of many to play well in the game. Dartmouth's defense held the Terriers' two best scorers to only one goal.
"To hold an offensive team like that to five goals was incredible," Patton said. "I was really impressed with our intensity and our fire in that game."
Dartmouth finished its Ivy League season with a 5-2 record. Currently Princeton and Cornell sit at 5-1. Both teams would have to lose this weekend for the Big Green to earn a share of the Ivy title.
Off this weekend, Dartmouth returns to action next Wednesday at Boston College. Last year Dartmouth routed Boston College 17-2. The season's last game will be at home against No. 1 Duke in Hanover on May 7.
Selections are announced on May 8. And if the Dartmouth women can beat both Boston College and Duke, it will be nearly impossible to keep them out of the tournament.
