You walk outside and feel a slap across the face. Slightly stunned, you stumble backwards for a bit, spilling some of the $5.25 coffee you just bought. As your eyes refocus, you notice there is no one around. What could of it have been? As you're searching for answers, it finally hits you: a classic fall breeze. Darn it. You fooled yourself into thinking it'd be at least mid-October before you saw that the summer days are over, and the bitterly brisk season we know as fall is creeping up on us.
Once you get over the fact that you will have a constant runny nose and that you will have to invest in chapstick (you can't have chapped lips if you're going to make moves on that cute '15 you met at the Heorot highlighter party) you'll realize this new season isn't all that bad. It's a new school year, girls are still tan and most importantly, fall sports are starting back up again.
Dartmouth sports teams are gearing up for what could be a great fall season. This year, it's like all the teams have a fire burning inside of them. It could be because there's a general discontent around campus with, oh I don't know, the new DDS dining plan, but let's not make assumptions here. Regardless, these are the teams that you should yell your lungs out for this season:
Dartmouth Football
I mean, this is an obvious choice. Last preseason, I predicted the Big Green would go at least .500, and they did even better than that, finishing with a record of 6-4. After considerable analysis, I've come to the conclusion that the Dartmouth football team will finish with a 7-3 record. While this Saturday's loss could have easily deterred me from my initial prediction, I've got high hopes for this football team.
Conner Kempe '12 and Nick Schwieger '12 lead an offense that has the potential to be classified as "high-octane." Kempe has shown early on this season that he has the ability to spread the wealth and get all his receivers involved, while Schwieger is once again making a case for himself as the Ivy League's best player. Add in Dominick Pierre '14 who burst onto the scene last year with a 110-yard, two-touchdown game in his first career start and this team can easily finish in better than fifth place, which is what the League's preseason media poll indicated.
Dartmouth Men's Soccer
If you were simply to look at the Big Green's 1-3-2 record, you'd be skeptical as to why I am touting them as a team to watch. However, you may not have noticed that Dartmouth hasn't even begun Ivy League play yet. The team's first games may have not gone as planned, but I expect this team to be fine-tuned once October rolls around.
Ever since he arrived on campus, co-captain Lucky Mkosana '12 has been an exciting player to watch, and he is now truly taking a leadership role on the squad. He has scored in three consecutive games, including the tying goal in Saturday's comeback win over the University of Massachusetts. I am going to make yet another prediction for this season: Mkosana will have at least a dozen goals and will top 20 points, which he hasn't done since the 2009-2010 season but can totally surpass after training intensely over the summer.
Dartmouth Field Hockey
Look, I'm going to be honest with you. I don't know a lot about field hockey or the team, but I do know this: I'm interested. After reading up on the Big Green's early-season success, I'm confused as to why there aren't more students jumping on this bandwagon. The team swept the Big Green Classic and took home the title earlier this month, and then proceeded to beat Princeton University which has run table in the Ivy League for nearly two decades for the first time in seven years.
Co-captains Kerry Bracco '11 and Kelly Hood 12 lead a team with League Championship aspirations. Congratulations are in order for Hood, who broke the Dartmouth points record last week. And it's not just the captains that are opening eyes Ali Savage '15 has made a name for herself with a strong start to the season and notched a hat trick this weekend.
This fall, be sure to attend as many games as possible, and be prepared to get rowdy. Dartmouth will be hosting its first night game ever this Saturday. I'll definitely be there I hope you will be, too.
