The women's soccer team didn't think it could get any better. Until last night. After expecting a battle with the University of Vermont, the Big Green trampled the Catamounts in a 6-0 route last night in Burlington.
Led by Megan Owens '96 and assistant captain Mya Mangawang '95 who scored three goals each, Dartmouth once again dominated offensively holding their opponents to less than five shots.
"We came out and moved the ball really well," Mangawang said. "We really finished well and were able to put the ball in the net."
A key for the Dartmouth offense was the strong defensive play by the Big Green, which opened up the field and provided many scoring opportunities.
"We create a lot of things with our defense," Coach Steve Swanson said. "We're able to shut teams down early which puts the other teams on their heels and then they think less of attacking, and more of defending."
The Big Green were able to capitalize early, providing them with the needed momentum to control the game thereafter.
"The early goal settled us down" Swanson said. "I think with the last three games our confidence is starting to come out more and, as athletes, the more confident the we are, the better we are going to play."
The Big Green finally felt as though their pre-season work had paid off when Owens was able to break UVM's offside trap on the dribble to give herself a one on one scoring opportunity and, consequently, two goals.
"In Europe, some the teams did to us what Megan was able to do," Mangawang said. "She took the ball herself and finished, which is something we learned while playing the tough teams in Europe."
After scoring 22 goals in their last three games and holding their opponents to under ten shots, the Big Green may seem unstoppable. However, according to Coach Swanson, there is always room for improvement.
"We need to constantly be working on those little things that win the game," Swanson said. "We need to be prepared. There are still things we need to work on and get better at."
Dartmouth, now 4-1, will hope to make those improvements and continue with their strong playing when the team takes on the always competitive Yale this Saturday at Chase Field. The game will be held at 12:00 p.m.
