The Dartmouth field hockey team takes to the road once more this weekend, as the Big Green goes head to head with Yale on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.
The Bulldogs currently are undefeated, while Dartmouth holds a record of 3-3 overall, 0-1 in the Ivy League, after a disappointing loss to Penn last weekend, 3-1.
Last Saturday marked the start of Dartmouth's Ivy season, and unfortunately, the Big Green were unable to rally for a win. Dartmouth senior Kathleen Hickey scored the Big Green's only goal, while co-Captain Lauren Demski '96 had five saves.
Dartmouth did come back the next day and crushed La Salle University, 6-0. Sarah Sedgwick '98 led the scoring fiesta with two second half goals.
Jen Karlen '98, Lauren Worley '99, Allison Pell '96 and Kelly Hannigan '97 all added goals as Dartmouth came away with an outstanding win. Demski blocked the only shot she faced in collecting the shutout.
Yale will undoubtedly be a tough match, but Dartmouth Coach Julie Dayton feels her team is ready for anything.
"We're going to be building on our previous outings," Dayton said. "We're going to concentrate on limiting our turnovers and unforced errors and capitalizing on all of our shooting opportunities. We'll also need to work on the defensive strategies."
Demski plays a big part of that defense. She has had two shutouts, and allowed only 1.83 goals per contest. Dartmouth's leading scorer continues to be junior starter Hannigan, who has had three goals and one assist so far this season.
Yale's biggest asset is keeper Lesley Frieder, who leads the Ivy League in saves [.921%] and goals-allowed [.5]. Lindsay Hobbs is also a tough offensive threat; she has tallied seven goals and two assists this season.
These games are always up for grabs though, Dayton said.
"The Ivy League is a very competitive league," she said. "It's a season within itself, and places an extremely important emphasis on the season as a whole. Penn was tough. Princeton is also very strong. Yale will be a challenge, too."
The team has improved tremendously since the beginning of the season.
"We are playing more like a team, instead of eleven individuals," Dayton said. "It's the kind of feeling that only comes from experience, and learning to play as a unit. We're settled in our positions, and have been playing together in team defense."
So, the Big Green gears up for another Ivy League game, in hopes to earn a piece of the Ivy crown. "It's one game at a time," Dayton said.
The outlook seems just right.
