The men's lacrosse team suffered a disappointing 17-5 loss to Princeton Saturday at Finney Field in Princeton, N.J., which boasted a crowd of 3,019 fans.
Knowing that controlling the pace of the game was essential for any success against the number-eight nationally ranked Tigers, the Big Green started out with an intentionally slow pace.
For the first quarter, the strategy worked, and Dartmouth held Princeton scoreless until 1:13 in the first quarter. Unfortunately, for the Big Green that goal sparked a run of 10 Tiger goals in the time of 14:12.
"They are a really offensively explosive team," Coach Tim Nelson said. "Our guys played hard, but they were just a little out-matched."
Offensively, the Big Green were unable to pressure the Tiger defense, whose starting goalie Pat Cairns gave up four goals and was only tested enough to come up with three saves.
Scott Hapgood '97 was the first Dartmouth player to put a score on the board with 14 seconds remaining in the first half. Hapgood was also the only Big Green player to score two goals when he shot in another one late in the third quarter.
Down 10-2 at half, the Big Green actually outscored the Tigers 3-2 in the third quarter, but Princeton would once again go on a scoring streak, outscoring Dartmouth 5-0 in the fourth quarter.
"They are a really fast, athletically skilled and well-coached team," Nelson said. "I thought we played some good defense at times. Sixty minutes is a long time to keep up against a team with so much talent."
The Big Green, ranked 19th in last week's polls, will find out tomorrow if they are still in the nation's top 20. Dartmouth will have two home games this week to prove themselves worthy of such a ranking.
