The Dartmouth football team wasn't the only team playing dominant defense on Saturday afternoon. The Big Green field hockey team used an airtight defensive effort to hold Yale scoreless, and left Chase Field with a 1-0 victory.
Yale controlled the momentum of the game for the majority of the first half. The Big Green just were not executing well and were constantly finding themselves against the ropes. This was no problem for Kendra Kosko '99, as she fearlessly defended the cage and wound up with 10 first half saves.
The big play of the half came when Kelly Hannigan '97 broke up a Bulldog breakaway to keep Yale off the scoreboard. At the half, both teams could only put up goose eggs, but the Bulldogs outshot the Big Green 14-4, and it seemed inevitable that Yale would squeak a couple through in the second half.
The Big Green assertively contested that feeling, however, as they came out with renewed energy and an increased level of play in the second half. Dartmouth battled for control of the ball and was rewarded by more chances for the offense to put some points on the board. With 28:44 to go in the game, the Big Green hit paydirt. Sarah Sedgwick '98 was carrying the ball up the left side of the field, and made a beautiful pass, crossing the ball to the center, right to Lauren Scopaz '00.
"All I remember from then is receiving the ball, getting around my defender, and then seeing the goalie in front of me," Scopaz said. "I don't really remember going around her or anything. I was in a sort of zone, and all I knew was that the cage was right behind her. Once I was past her and saw the open cage, it was an awesome feeling. Then I just banged the ball into the cage and felt the real rush of the importance of that game."
Dartmouth didn't let up after the goal, as the Big Green continued to work on offense. With improved execution and ball control, the Big Green didn't give Yale much of a chance until around the 8:00 minute mark. Yale got out ahead of the Big Green defense once again, but this time the Bulldog goal was cut off courtesy of Sarah Drake '97.
"That was a huge win for us," Kosko said. "Yale was really psyched for our game since we beat them twice in overtime last year. They are a strong team with several seniors. They were set on beating us and their offense did come on pretty strong in the first half, but we held them and turned the tides after halftime."
The stats showed the Big Green's second half dominance, as they outshot Yale 17-7, to even up the game total at 21 apiece. Dartmouth, now 7-6, travels to Vermont to play UVM this afternoon.
The crucial games for the Big Green are at Cornell on the Oct. 27, and at home versus Harvard on Nov. 2 -- important Ivy League match-ups that will determine the final standings.
"Right now, Princeton is the only school with more than one win in the league, so it's really wide open," Scopaz said. "As long as we keep up our intensity and find the cage when we need to, we should finish out the season strong."
