The women's soccer team will travel to New Haven this afternoon to take on Yale at 7:30 p.m. in the Big Green's second Ivy League game this season.
Dartmouth, 4-1-1, had its first Ivy League win last weekend at Pennsylvania, and the Big Green will look to keep their Ivy record unblemished as they battle the Bulldogs.
"Our goal this season is to win the Ivy League Championship," Jenna Kurowski '97 said.
With a group of talented juniors led by leading scorer Kurowski, past All-American Melissa McBean and last year's All-Ivy co-Captain Holly Thomas, the chances for the Big Green to win the Ivy title look good.
So far this season, the Big Green have struggled some, but still have managed to pull out the key games when necessary. Last weekend, Dartmouth came back from a 1-0 deficit to beat Penn
For the Big Green the tight win over Penn was somewhat disappointing since Dartmouth had beaten the Quakers 8-0 at home last year. But there were some benefits that could be taken from the game.
"I think there were a lot of good things that will help us down the line," Coach Steve Swanson said. "The players responded well to the pressure. That could have been a turning point for us. They fought hard, and that's what you are looking for in your team."
Like last weekend, Dartmouth will once again have to play without starting midfielder and co-Captain Kate Andrews '96.
Andrews suffered a strained ligament in her knee and possible torn ligament in her ankle last week during Dartmouth's 2-1 win over the University of New Hampshire.
Since Andrews' injury, something has been missing for the Big Green, but they are looking to get back on track this weekend.
"We want to play with the same kind of intensity that we have been but more consistently," Swanson said. "We need to have that intensity for the full 90 minutes."
Closing has been a major problem for Dartmouth. The Big Green have outshot opponents but have been unable to put the ball in the net when needed.
"It is still a young season," Swanson said. "Everyone just has to try and get more consistent."
The game against Yale will be the Big Green's first real Ivy League threat. Last week, Yale defeated a strong Brown team 2-1 in its first Ivy game.
"Yale always gives us a tough game," Kurowski said. "We have to get ready to get psyched up for the game. We need to focus on playing, and hopefully things will fall into place."
The Big Green will look to stop the Bulldog's leading scorers Jill Rubenstein and Amy Porter, but at the same time will count on Ivy League Player of the Week Kurowski to continue her scoring trends.
Kurowski is currently the third leading scorer in the Ivy League with 10 points. Last week, two of her goals led to wins over Penn and New Hampshire, while her one goal against St. John's saved the Big Green from being defeated in the 1-1 draw.
Dartmouth will look to overcome Yale's slightly larger field that sometimes poses problems for visiting teams.
"They've always been tough games," Swanson said. "They move the ball well. We'll have to keep our shape defensively against them because it is a big field and you can tend to get spread out. We need to just play tough."
By playing tough will hopefully keep the Big Green undefeated in the Ivy League. Currently Dartmouth, Yale, Harvard and Cornell have not lost an Ivy game this season.
"Anyone in the league could win the title right now, so we know that wecan't take anyone lightly," Kurowski said.
