Dartmouth rebounded from a mediocre first half on Saturday afternoon to defeat the Brown Bears 14-8 and clinch a share of the Ivy League women's lacrosse title.
The game was tight throughout the first half as last-place Brown kept up with first-place Dartmouth and the team's headed into the intermission, ending the first half with a two-point Brown deficit.
Dartmouth realized the urgency of winning this game, however, and, with the intense energy and effort by the senior leadership, picked up its game to come out with the victory.
"It was sloppy, but it's a win," co-Captain Lauren Holleran '95 said. "We kind of feel like plumbers out here. We get the job done, but it's not pretty."
"The game started with a lack of intensity and precision that we usually have. We weren't executing well on attack and we were relaxed on defense," said co-Captain Mya Mangawang '95.
With the win, Dartmouth clinched at least a piece of the Ivy League title. If Dartmouth loses to Harvard on Tuesday and Princeton beats Cornell on Wednesday, the Big Green will share the title with the Tigers.
Otherwise, Dartmouth will finish alone on the Ivy throne.
"I have no desire to share an Ivy League title with any team, Princeton in particular," Mangawang said.
Brown took the early lead just 15 seconds into the first half when Leigh Miller scored her first of two tallies for the afternoon.
By halftime, Dartmouth had gained a two-point lead but Brown was closing in. The entire first half had resembled a chase, with Dartmouth advancing one step, followed by Brown.
Things were not looking good for Dartmouth as the team has had problems all season with losing its intensity in the second half.
"We were giving them confidence in the first half," Patton said.
At halftime, Patton took her five seniors, Holleran, Mangawang, Wallis Cook, Jenny Edwards, and Kirsten Prettyman aside to talk to them separately. "We have five very strong seniors," Patton said. "They've been here before. They don't want to see it slip away. They've made a statement that they aren't going to be overlooked."
Dartmouth, under the leadership of those seniors, picked up the pace for the remainder of the game, outscoring Brown 6-2 for the victory.
"Wally [Cook] and Bear [Holleran] took control. Mya [Mangawang] was great up and down the field. It started catching [with the rest of the team]," Patton said. "I said to them, 'Are you going to let eight freshmen outplay you?'"
Dartmouth scored the first three goals of the half to take a five-point lead; Kim Mendelson '97 had one while Holleran had two.
Holleran's second goal demonstrated Dartmouth's teamwork with Mangawang passing from behind the net to Holleran, who, waiting in front of the net, quick-sticked it in.
Miller's next goal prompted Cook to score twice, once on a bounce shot and once after a full team effort of moving the ball up the field.
The game ended with another goal from each team. Kerri Whitaker scored Brown's. Holleran put in her fourth for Dartmouth.
Dartmouth's inability to take control at the beginning of the game stemmed from problems with simple skills, that is ground balls, draw controls, passing, and catching.
The team also was being called a lot for illegal checking.
"[Goalie Kirsten Prettyman] had a poor day on the eight meter," Patton said. "It was probably her poorest performance. She has been playing so consistently."
Dartmouth committed 18 fouls while Brown was called for only 11.In the first half, after Brown's first goal, the Brown defense, under junior goalie Nancy Kendall, denied Dartmouth the opportunity to score for four minutes.
Dartmouth persevered until finally, at 3:59, Sarah Devens '96, off a pass from Mangawang , found the chance the team had been waiting for on a shot to the lower left corner of the goal, tying the score at 1-1.
Three minutes later, Dartmouth was back in Kendall's face as Cook scored on a shot following a penalty that put her on the eight meter fan.
After another three minutes, Holleran, just outside the eight meter fan, passed the ball to Mendelson who fired from the right side of the goal to increase Dartmouth's lead to two points.
From then, it was a game of chase. Each goal Dartmouth scored, Brown match. Holleran and Cook each had four goals, while Sarah Devens '96 and Mendelson each had a hat-trick. Gorton, Miller, and Whitaker were Brown's high scorers, each with three.
"Dartmouth is a very good team. Lauren Holleran is outstanding. Sarah Devens is outstanding. They have an explosive attack," Brown Coach Carolan Norris said. "I was happy with our play. I lost one of my best attackers yesterday."
