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The Dartmouth
March 29, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Women’s soccer falls at Harvard on Sat.

11.4.13.sports.wsoccer
11.4.13.sports.wsoccer

Dartmouth women’s soccer suffered a devastating 2-1 loss at the hands of Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass., on Saturday. This most recent defeat sealed Harvard’s (11-3-2, 6-0 Ivy) position as Ivy League champions.

Purce represented the United States in Guatemala for the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football U17 women’s championship, and qualified for the 2012 FIFA U17 women’s World Cup.

“I don’t think we were ready for her,” co-captain Emma Brush ’13 said. “This is my fifth year, and she’s the best player I’ve seen come through the Ivy League. We weren’t prepared for it going in, but I think that was our coaches’ intention to underplay her and not psych us out.”

Purce leads the Ivy League in goal scoring, posting 11 goals this season. The first Crimson goal came on an unassisted carry by Purce in the 20th minute up the middle of the field, as she took two Dartmouth defenders on her drive to the net. The second and only other Harvard goal came in the 36th minute on an assist by Purce as well.

“We were having a lot of trouble controlling the ball in the midfield,” Brush said. “It was kind of a black hole due to the intense pressure Harvard was putting on the midfield. I think that they were doing maye a better job of connecting passes, but I think the difference really did come down to the special forward.”

The team cut its losses at two goals and a questionable call by the referee to deny the Big Green a penalty kick after an aggressive play by the Crimson keeper in the closing minutes of the first half. Dartmouth came out like an entirely different team after regrouping during halftime.

“I think at halftime a bunch of players were basically like, ‘Guys what is this?’” Brush said. “Our coach Theresa [Romagnolo] gave us a good kick in the butt. We got riled up and ready and there was a definite mentality switch.”

The momentum of the whole game shifted dramatically in favor of the Big Green who allowed half as many shots by Harvard and took 11 shots of their own during the second half, an incredible increase from the lone single shot taken in the first half.

“We came out with more fire and desperation,” co-captain and midfielder Kim Rose ’13 said. “We knew we had to lay everything on the line, and we were really trying to attack. We knew that we couldn’t play it over the top but needed to possess upfield, and we were really successful in executing.”

The Big Green’s marked increase in intensity paid off in the 65th minute, when Kelly Brait ’14 scored on a header off one of the Big Green’s four corner kicks that half.

“Kelly was on the far side and right on the back post and headed it back in,” Rose said. “It was a great goal. We did focus this week on trying to score on set pieces. We’ve had so many corner kicks this season, and we haven’t scored on as many as those as we should have.”

While the whole team worked together to fight for the win, Jessica Lukas ’17 and Kate Castillo ’15 stood out among the pack.

Both Brush and Rose credited Lukas for using her speed and energy to create scoring opportunities.

Castillo, on the other hand, gave a lights out defensive performance when she was told to man-mark Crimson’s Purce. Castillo effectively neutralized Purce’s threat to the Big Green completely, rendering her a nonissue in the second half all together.

“I think a main reason we played so much better in the second half was because of Kate Castillo,” Brush said. “Kate man-marked Purce and did an incredible job of shutting her down, taking so many of her opportunities.”

This amazing resurgence of energy still proved to be too little too late for Dartmouth who, with this loss, situated itself out of first place contention in the Ivy League, which would have been contingent upon a loss for Harvard against Columbia University next week.

The Big Green will take on its final opponent, Cornell University, at home on Saturday.

“We’re playing for coming out of the Ivy League with above a 500 record, even though we can’t win the title or make the tournament,” said Brush. “It’s just for pride. It means a lot for us to go out for our last home game on senior day.”