What more can one expect from the number-five team in the country? The women's lacrosse team hit the road last night to play Boston College and left the Eagles stunned after a convincing 11-4 Dartmouth win.
Dartmouth came out a little sluggishlyin the first half, but still managed to score four times while holding the Eagles scoreless before the intermission.
"It was not so great," Head Coach Amy Patton said after the game. "We were having a lot of trouble with the basics at the beginning of the game." Specifically,Patton said, the team was having trouble with the most basic of skills: throwing and catching.
According to Patton, the team took many shots but often hit the goalie instead of the net.
Dartmouth's defense, however, was extremely solid in the first half. "The defense played very strong," Patton said. "The double teaming was timed well and the checks were sharp."
While the 4-0 halftime lead may appear impressive for the team, the results of the second half demonstrated what Dartmouth is truly capable of, as the Big Green took control of the game. "They started to execute," Patton said.
With five minutes left to play in the game, Dartmouth had racked up seven more goals while the defense remained stingy, only allowing one B.C. goal to bring the score up to 11-1.
Dartmouth began to let up on its defensive intensity at this point and B.C. scored three goals within the last five minutes.
Dartmouth left Boston confidently, though, boasting an 11-4 win against the Eagles, a team that was ranked 15th in the nation last week before dropping out of the top 15 in the poll released yesterday.
"For a team just out of the starting blocks game-wise we are coming together quite well. We didn't finish well in the beginning but we managed to pull together towards the end offensively," co-Captain Mya Mangawang '95 said.
Senior co-Captain Lauren Holleran and Sarah Devens '96 were the scoring powers of the evening. Devens tallied three goals and an assist against the Eagles.
Not only did Holleran score four goals, but her points for the evening made her the all-time leading scorer in the history of Dartmouth women's lacrosse.
Dartmouth passed well, as six of the team's goals were assisted. These numbers demonstrate the team's ability to work as a unit rather than just as individual players.
"Our challenge is to play solid Dartmouth lacrosse for 60 minutes with no tactical or mental lapses.If we can put together our type of fast-breaking, solid defensive game for an entire game, we will prove unstoppable," Mangawang said.
Dartmouth begins its Ivy League competition on Saturday when it hosts its longtime rival, the Princeton Tigers.
Princeton is ranked number one in the country in the latest Brine women's lacrosse poll. "It will be a good test of our true abilities," Mangawang said.
