In the past, Dartmouth has had difficulty beating this team on its turf. "We seem to take care of them at home, but it's always difficult to play there," women's lacrosse Coach Amy Patton said.
But who is "them?" They are fellow Ivy-Leaguers Cornell University.
Not ranked in the top 15 of the Brine/IWLCA poll this week, Cornell has bounced in and out of the rankings all season. In the poll released April 4, Cornell was ranked 14. Since then, Cornell's 5-2 loss to Yale on April 8 dropped the team out of the top 15.
A win tomorrow at Cornell would help maintain Dartmouth's position in the Ivy League. Presently, Dartmouth (2-0) and Yale (3-0) are atop the League standings.
Both teams are coming off big wins. Dartmouth triumphed easily over the University of Massachusetts on Wednesday, coming off with a 15-5 win. Cornell's most recent win was against Boston College when the Big Red won 9-8 in overtime.
The hex of playing at Cornell will be compounded by Cornell's defense. Dartmouth will have to confront a zone defense, something not many teams play.
"If we can break the zone, we can beat them easily. But if we have trouble breaking the zone, then it will be a low-scoring game. Last year we had no trouble breaking the zone," Patton said.
"We can't get sucked into playing their game," co-Captain Lauren Holleran said. "They try to slow it down a lot. The challenge is to play our game and beat the zone."
Dartmouth will rely on its fast break to combat the zone. The players hope this response will eliminate the zone altogether.
Another strategy will be to "set up in a settled attack," Patton said. "The key is to move the ball."
In order to move the ball efficiently, Dartmouth will look to effective cutting. "The first cut should be the decoy and the second cut should be the real one. Timing is crucial," Patton said.
"We are still looking to execute for the full 60 minutes," Patton said. "We have definitely proven that we can do it for the first 30 minutes. Now we need to do it for the second 30."
Cornell will look to its top scorers to put the pressure on Dartmouth. Freshman Cari Hills leads the team in points, having tallied 16 before the Boston College game last Wednesday.
Behind Hills is senior Jen Bass who rates fifth on Cornell's career goals list. Sophomore Lauren Feinstein is just two goals behind Bass with 13 goals.
Another factor to consider is senior goalie Liz Graham. Graham has relatively little experience between the pipes, having played attack for the junior varsity team in both 1993 and 1994. However, the team was left without a goalie when Suzanne Caruso graduated last spring and Carol Owen did not return to the team this season. Graham jumped up to varsity and began playing goalie.
So far Graham has played every game, earning a .533 save percentage.
She was given Ivy League Honor Roll status for her 17 saves in games against Yale and Drexel.
In the other end of the field, Kirsten Prettyman is sitting pretty, coming off a win in which she saved six of 11 shots attempted. Prettyman also has the experience that Graham does not possess.
"I just hope the team comes out really, really ready," Patton said. If it does, Dartmouth could be looking at another step towards an NCAA bid.
