Looking back on their season, the Big Green men's lacrosse team (0-6 in the Ivies, 3-9 overall) cannot help but wonder what might have been, if only few bounces went their way. It was a frustrating season for all those involved, as Dartmouth lost several games in which they had out-played their opponents.
"There were a lot of times when things just didn't go our way," Co-Captain Tim Wennrich '93 said. "We couldn't take advantage of the breaks we were given."
The turning point of the season appears to have been the game against the University of Pennsylvania on Apr. 10. The Big Green had just come off two solid wins against the State University of New York at Stony Brook and Holy Cross and the team felt ready for its first Ivy League match-up of the year.
The Big Green played flawlessly for the first three periods and held an 8-3 lead going into the fourth. Penn, though, erupted in the fourth period for five goals to tie it up and send the game to overtime, where they eventually scored the game-winning goal.
"The Penn game was the best I've ever seen our team play," Peter Fahey '94 said. "That game was heavily in our favor, and it really hurt to lose it."
After the Penn game, the Big Green bounced back for a win over Middlebury, but the tough losses started to mount. The team lost its final seven games of the season, including a 26-12 shellacking by Brown.
Most disheartening of those losses were the last two, against the University of New Hampshire, 13-12, and Harvard, 11-10. In the UNH game, the Big Green gave up another fourth period lead and suffered a very frustrating home loss.
In the final game of the season, Harvard jumped out to a 10-6 lead in Hanover. The Big Green, though, made a very emotional comeback with the crowd behind them, tying the game in the fourth, 10-10. But just when you thought this unlucky team would catch a break and win a tight game, Harvard scored with two minutes left to win it.
"It was a personally disappointing season," Brendan Bowler '94 said. "Winning some of those close games, though, would've made it much more enjoyable for me."
The players found it difficult to explain exactly went wrong.
"I really don't have any explanation for it," Fahey said. "Hopefully, next year we'll be able to win those close ones."
Indeed, the Big Green lost four games during the season by less than two goals. Had the team finished victorious in those four contests, its record would have been a highly respectable 7-5 overall and 2-4 in the Ivy League.
Next year's squad will be losing several important players to graduation, most notably seniors Tim Wennrich -- the team's most valuable player, Co-Captain Ben Cummings '93, Dartmouth's second leading scorer Brian Heberlig '93 and goalie Will Wynnperle '93.
The Big Green will be led next year by Co-Captains Peter Fahey and Andy Ruckh '94, as well as leading scorer Eric Welsh '95, who received All Ivy League honorable mention for his 19 goals and 15 assists.
According to the players, the outlook for next year appears bright. The Big Green is still a young team and they've gained a lot of valuable experience from this tough season. The team will also be gaining two former All-American players from the Class of 1997 to help solidify the middie position.
"Although things didn't end up the way we anticipated," Wennrich said, "a lot of positives came out of the season which will be put towards next year's stronger, more experienced team."
