Big Green soccer fans, get ready for The Showdown.
The sneak previews are over. Now it's time for the real thing. It's time for the women's soccer team to square off against Harvard in a match-up that's sure to be a clash between titans.
Some would argue, on the basis of the teams' similarities, that it's fate that's bringing Dartmouth and Harvard face-to-face on Saturday.
Both teams enter the game with perfect 5-0 league records. Both teams boast rankings in the national coaches poll. And both teams have arsenals stacked with soccer prodigies.
But despite all these similarities, the Big Green will still enter the match as the underdogs since they trail the 11th ranked Crimson by eight slots in the NSCAA/Umbro Women's Soccer Poll.
None of this will really matter on Saturday though. The difference in Saturday's game is that there's an Ivy title at stake. And certainly with a guaranteed share of the league title up for grabs, both teams are sure to hit the turf kicking and shooting.
Harvard, which is now 12-1-0 overall, has outdented the nets of its opponents 37-7. Dartmouth, with 36 goals on the season, has done a pretty good job of going shot-for-shot with Harvard.
Obviously, with stats like these, both teams have their share of sharpshooters.
Harvard will count on their 1995 All-American forward Emily Stauffer '97, and her sidekick Naomi Miller '98, who is a two-time Ivy Player of the Week this season, to do most of the Crimson scoring.
Dartmouth will call on a similar pair of scoring sensations. Senior Jenna Kurowski, who has been named Ivy Player of the Week three times already, will team up with Melissa McBean '97, who has eight goals and three assists on the season, to get the job done up front.
With all this excitement over just one game, who wouldn't be excited? The coaches and players certainly are.
"We are very excited about the game," Harvard coach Tim Wheaton said in an Ivy League press release. "[Dartmouth] has scored lots of goals, and our defense has been very strong."
"We're all looking forward to this weekend," co-Captain Kate Andrews '96 said. "Since we're going into the match as the underdogs, we really have nothing to lose in terms of getting to the post season. But at the same time we'd really like to take home the Ivy crown."
As Wheaton explained, "It's been interesting in that the last couple of years, the Ivy race has come down to one game. The automatic bid makes the game especially interesting, but both teams still have a good chance at making the NCAAs regardless of the outcome."
Dartmouth's coach, Neil Orr, conceded that this weekend's outcome won't make or break his team's season.
"We don't want to rely on one avenue to the NCAAs," he said in an Ivy League press release. "We want to get there, and that means winning as many games as possible regardless of our opponent."
The word among the players is that they have the potential to pull off a win this weekend, but that winning won't come easy.
"We're a very strong team and we don't have any real weaknesses," midfielder Betsy Dobbin '98 said. "[Harvard] has several nationally recognized players, but we're not really concerned. Our primary focus this weekend will be on playing together as a team."
Megan Owens '96 said, "We realize that the Harvard game won't be the end-all. But you can be sure that we're going to give it our all on Saturday."
To be sure, the Big Green will be out for blood this weekend. Crimson blood. Game time is 2:00 p.m. at Ohiri Field.
