There's a striking similarly between the weather of Hanover and the women's lacrosse team these days. Both are getting very hot as of late.
The Big Green bagged two wins over the break, then snagged another on Wednesday against the Eagles of Boston College. Now 3-0, the squad will take on the Princeton Tigers on Saturday in their Ivy League opener.
In their match-up of the season, the Big Green downed the Duke Blue Devils with a 14-10 victory on March 20 in Durham, NC. Dartmouth outshot the Blue Devils by a margin of 29-18.
Throughout the game, freshman Emily Fenwick was a dominant factor, tallying three goals and three assists, while Kim Mendelson '97 netted three goals and added one assist. Katie Graw '00, Heather McNulty '99 and Kelly Hannigan '97 contributed with two goals apiece.
Following the Duke victory, the team headed into their second game of the season against the Richmond Spiders in Richmond, Virginia. The Big Green hit the ground running as they mounted a 7-3 lead by halftime and continued to build on that lead throughout the second half.
Dartmouth ended the game with a 4-1 run en route to a 11-7 final score against Richmond.
This offensive was lead by Jacque Weitzel '00, who tossed in five goals, and Jennifer Greene '98, who ended the game with one goal and five assists. Dartmouth outshot Richmond, 32-18, on the afternoon.
On defense, Sarah Carlson '99 had three saves for the Big Green while Christy Yarnell shut the door on 18 shots for the Spiders.
On Wednesday, Dartmouth continued to carry the hotsticks as they pulled off a 13-7 win over the Eagles of Boston College. Playing a solid first half, the Big Green jumped to an early 9-2 lead but played the Eagles evenly in the second stanza.
Playing solidly for the team's offensive unit were Julia Morrill '98 with four goals and Jacque Weitzel '00 who found the net three times. The Big Green outshot the Eagles, 40-20, and Sarah Carlson '99 turned in 13 stops.
" Sarah Carlson '99 played a great game in goal for us" said tri-Captain Kelly Hannigan '97. "We were a little flat, but what matters is that we pulled out a victory and we will hopefully have two days of intense practice to get ready for the Princeton game on Saturday."
Head coach Amy Patton said she was pleased with the outcome of the first half against BC as the first nine goals were scored by nine different players. She was pleased to see the potential flexibility enabling them to rely on a "balanced attack" in the upcoming season.
Patton called this year's squad the "best ever" in her eight years as head coach of the Green and White.
"The team dynamics are wonderful," Patton said. "There has been a rebirth of enthusiasm on this team".
But Patton also knows that this team has plenty of room for improvment. She said she's planning on strengthening the team's defensive efforts in the coming weeks.
"Every game, we've learned something new and that's the first step towards our improvement," Patton said.
Because of the persistent snowfall here in Hanover, the Big Green will give up their planned home field advantage against Princeton on Saturday as they travel south to use the field at Tufts.
Coach Patton believes that Saturday's match will be a solid measuring stick within the Ivy League as both teams are early-season picks for the top slot.
Then there's the whole rivalry thing. Historically, almost every game has come down to a one-goal differential. Last year, the Tigers took the Ivy title south to New Jersey, and the year before that, the league title found a home in Hanover.
The stakes are high. And so is the excitement.
"We know what we have to work on, and the team is fired up and ready to work hard to take it to the Tigers this weekend," Hannigan said.
Princeton is now ranked 8th in the nation while Dartmouth now holds the 11th slot in the polls.
