Knowing it had to prove itself worthy of an NCAA bid, the women's soccer team entered its last regular season inspired to assert its dominance in Saturday's match against Columbia University.
The Big Green did so forcefully, as they clobbered the Lions 4-0 and earned themselves a bid to the NCAA tournament. The tournament begins today for Dartmouth with a battle in Providence against Brown.
Brown, who tied with Harvard last weekend 1-1, claimed the Ivy League title this year with a 6-0-1 Ivy record. Earlier in the season, Brown upset the Big Green 2-1 in a night match at Providence. With a short and demanding schedule, second chances don't come by often, but tonight, one will.
"We're all excited about getting into the tournament," Coach Steve Swanson said. "We're a far better team now than we were when we played [Brown] before. That's what you want to see, heading into post season play."
Last year, Dartmouth earned its first NCAA bid, and to repeat such a feat is remarkable for the young squad.
"It's difficult to do it a second time because you're not going to sneak up on anyone," Swanson said. "It's a tribute to the team, and I think we'll be a bit more experienced than we were last year. Hopefully we can draw upon that."
The Big Green look to prepare for Brown's more direct style which draws on their physical play.
"We are going to have to be disciplined," Swanson said. "I think one of the keys will be if we can impose our game on them. It's going to be a game with a high emotional level. The rivalry that has developed is unique. We have to make sure we don't get caught up in that. We need to focus on what we need to do."
The winner of Wednesday night's match will travel to Hartford Saturday to compete in the regional semi-finals against the University of Connecticut. The University of Hartford will play the winner of the Harvard and University of Massachusetts match, which will also be played tonight.
The winner of the regional tournament will then travel to the final four tournament where they will compete for the coveted National Championship.
"The wins we had this last weekend were to get us into the NCAA's," Megan Owens '96 said. "Now it's a fresh start, and we're psyched. We have to move the ball and work hard off the ball because last time we played them we were more stationary, which allowed them to play their game a little more."
Owens, was out with a knee injury last weekend when Dartmouth dominated Columbia in a 4-0 rout. In the Columbia game, the Big Green took control early when Kate Andrews '96 headed in a loose ball after only five minutes had expired. Shortly after, Brittanny Boulanger '95 found a wide open Betsy Dobbin '98, who shot in the close goal to give the Big Green an early 2-0 lead.
The remainder of the half was evenly matched, as both teams had a few shots but were unable to convert. With 13 minutes left in the first half Columbia faced its first scoring opportunity, but was denied a goal when goal keeper Heidi Hachtel '96 snagged the incoming shot.
After the half, Columbia was unable to adjust to the Big Green's aggressive play, and Dartmouth continued to dominate downfield. With twenty minutes left in the game, Cindy Goodwin '97 knocked in an amazing outside shot to give Dartmouth a sizable 3-0 lead.
The day was obviously not Columbia's, which was evident when one of the team's own players accidentally knocked in Dartmouth's fourth point with only ten minutes left in the game. Columbia, who was outshot by the Big Green 15-2, became frustrated after the long game and was worn down by Dartmouth's superior play.
"Saturday was a good result," Swanson said. "We did a lot of things well that we needed to. I think we've proven to be consistent throughout the year. The defense has played awfully well, and coupled with the fact we lost our senior captain early, that's remarkable."
When captain goal keeper Michelle Conroy '95 shattered her kneecap in the Big Green's opening game against the University of Connecticut, the Dartmouth defense was put under pressure. Yet Hachtel, has proven herself more than capable and has gained the confidence of the Big Green players.
To achieve their goal of beating Brown, the Big Green will need to enter tonight's match ready to win.
"We need to be mentally prepared," Swanson said. "We must go into the game with a lot of confidence."