Ghosts from seasons past haunted the men's lacrosse team this Saturday in Providence.
The 19th-ranked Big Green lost 10-9 to seventh-ranked Brown in a manner that conjured up memories from last season.
Fourth-quarter comebacks by opponents resulted in tough one-goal losses for the Big Green several times last year, and it happened again this weekend.
Dartmouth held a 7-5 advantage over the Bears heading into the fourth quarter, only to have Brown explode for five goals in the final 15 minutes. Four of the tallies came in a furious two-minute span.
"Brown is a big run-and-gun team that can score quickly," co-captain Peter Fahey '94 said. "They just went on a run [in the fourth]."
Despite the hard-to-swallow loss, Dartmouth's confidence is not shaken. And though the team may have lost the game in the same way it lost several games last year, the attitude this season is entirely different.
"We may have lost the game, but we realized we're a really good team," Fahey said. "Brown embarrassed us the past few years, but we gained a lot of respect from them [on Saturday]."
Brian Merritt '97 helped Dartmouth earn that respect. The midfielder had another stellar effort, recording his second hat trick of the season on Saturday.
Eric Welsh '95 added two goals, and Dave Fivek '94 had one goal and two assists. Single tallies by Fahey, Brian White '95 and John Schneider '96 rounded out the Dartmouth scoring.
Goalie Ned Hazard '96 recorded 21 saves and again earned a spot on the Ivy League weekly honor roll.
The loss drops the Big Green to 7-3 overall, and 2-2 in the Ivy League, while Brown (8-4, 5-0) clinched at least a share of the Ivy title with the victory.
The Big Green took an early 2-0 lead on back-to-back goals by Merritt, but Brown quickly evened the score by taking advantage of two extra-man opportunities. The Bears opened up a 5-3 halftime lead.
The third quarter belonged to Dartmouth, however, as the Big Green scored four times and held the Bears scoreless, thanks to several big saves by Hazard. But the tables turned in the final quarter, and Brown's scoring spree did in the Big Green.
The road ahead doesn't get any easier for the Big Green, as they take on Vermont on Wednesday and Princeton on Saturday. Both games will be played on Memorial Field.
Vermont was ranked as high as 18th nationally this year, and Princeton occupied the number one spot in the country in the early weeks of the season. The Tigers are currently second, and Vermont is no longer in the top 20.
"Vermont is a must win," Fahey said. "Winning will keep us ranked and keep Vermont out of the top 20. Brown beat Princeton by one goal, so Saturday's game should be a good one, too."
