A seven-goal first half offensive outburst yesterday was not enough for a win as the women's lacrosse team faltered down the stretch in the second half and was upset by Harvard 11-8.
The loss ended the Big Green's hopes of finishing second in the Ivy League, leaving them with a 3-3 record in league play and 7-5 overall.
Dartmouth was able to come out quickly, getting unassisted goals from Kelly Hannigan '97 and co-Captain Maura Schneider '96. Gaining a 2-0 lead after 10 minutes had elapsed in the first half, Harvard began to respond, and a goal by Megan Hall at 16:42 into the half tied the score at 3-3.
Behind junior attacker Kim Mendelson, however, Dartmouth answered the Crimson challenge by earning free position shots that quickly turned into goals.
Mendelson, who scored four first half goals, three on free position shots, scored with a little over a minute remaining to extend the Big Green halftime lead to 7-5.
"In the first half we were going hard, moving the ball and playing together as a team and capitalizing on the chances that Harvard gave us," said Schneider , who was playing in her final home game for the Big Green.
Harvard came out strong in the second, though, and opened the scoring in the second half three minutes in , as Maria Hennessey put away the second of her four afternoon goals.
But Schneider responded just 10 seconds later, as she picked up the draw and raced down the field, firing a shot past Harvard goalkeeper Shana Barghouti.
That would be the final tally of the day for the Big Green, who lapsed defensively during the middle part of the half, allowing five unanswered goals by the Crimson, including three goals in a minute to snap the 8-8 tie.
Despite outshooting the Crimson 23-19 over the course the game, the Big Green were unable to find another opening in the net and convert.
"After halftime, we were making poor decisions and mental mistakes that just killed us while Harvard cleaned up their game a bit," Schneider said. "It just feels horrible to play my last home game and have it end on such a sour note. We really should have won this game."
"There has always been a fierce rivalry with Harvard and so a win against them in our final home game would have been a great way to finish on Chase [Field]," co-Captain Lauren Demski '96 said, who also finished out her home career at Dartmouth. "However, we have three games left, and we're looking to finish the season on a strong and positive note."
The loss dropped the Big Green into a tie with both the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University for third place in the Ivy League in what will be a large pack of teams trailing Ivy League champion Princeton.
The Big Green will finish out their season on the road, beginning with a makeup game against the University of Massachusetts this Sunday.
