The Big Green will put their game-winning strategy to the test tomorrow as the women's lacrosse team takes on the Brown Bears for a shot at the Ivy title.
Now alone at the top of the Ivy totem pole, Dartmouth (8-2 overall, 4-0 Ivy) will enter the game hot off a 13-7 win over the Yale Bulldogs on Wednesday.
"When we played Yale, everything just clicked," sophomore Heather McNulty said. "It was just an incredible feeling."
The victory over Yale set up a chance for Dartmouth to seal at least a share of the league title with a win on Saturday.
"For now, our priority is on winning the Ivies," tri-Captain Kim Mendelson '97 said. "We need to stay on top of our game if expect to beat Brown."
But the actual task of beating the Bears is sure not be a cakewalk even though Dartmouth holds a 19-4 record against Brown. This time, revenge will be one incentive for the Big Green as Brown had the upper hand in last season's showdown.
"Last year, we lost to Brown so this time we can afford to let up," goalie Sarah Carlson '99 said.
Against the 11th-ranked Yale Bulldogs, the Big Green jumped out to an early 4-0 lead in the opening half before busting out to a 10-3 half-time advantage. Against No. 12 Brown, Dartmouth hopes to use a similar formula for success.
"Our mindset will be the same," McNulty said. "We're going to look to dominate the game right off the start."
Dartmouth will rely on a strong offensive scoring line to earn the early lead. Senior tri-Captain Kim Mendelson currently leads the Big Green with 20 goals on the season, including a hat-trick against Yale.
Freshman Jacque Weitzel will also look to frustrate the opposing goalie -- something she's done 17 times already this season.
Junior attack Jen Greene will continue her role as the Big Green's playmaker on Saturday. She has already broken the school single-season assist record with 23 dishes so far.
In the backfield, tri-Captains Kelly Hannigan '97 and Andrea Krumholz '97 will anchor the Dartmouth defense while Sarah Carlson '99 will guard the net. Krumholz was recently named the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week.
According to the numbers, Brown's line-up isn't quite as strong. With eight goals and 14 assists on the season, junior attack Allison Schettini may pose an offensive threat. Junior Phoebe Koch may also carry the hotstick for the Bears.
But ultimately, the Brown squad will be out to play spoiler in the Ivy title race. Now 2-2 in Ivy play, the Bears are all but mathematically eliminated from the title race.
"We need to be careful because Brown will be just as fired up as we are," McNulty said.
"We have a really good chance of winning the title at this point in the season," Greene said. "We just need to be pumped and ready for this game. We need to step out onto the field believing that we can win."
The opening draw is scheduled for noon at Chase Field.
