With the Wednesday afternoon squeaker-of-a-win over the UMass Minutewomen over and done with, the women's lacrosse team will need to step up the intensity if they want to bag their third Ivy League victory of the season against Cornell on Saturday.
"The UMass game proves that we just can't take any team for granted," freshman goalie Lauren Carroll said.
Relying on their multi-pronged offense, Dartmouth will bank on top scorers freshman Jacque Weitzel, junior Julia Morrill and senior tri-Captain Kim Mendelson to put up the numbers.
With 96 goals to her name, Mendelson is just four goals shy of the magic 100-career-goal mark heading into Saturday's game.
Behind these scoring machines is the Big Green's perennial playmaker, junior Jennifer Greene.
Greene has tallied 18 assists in the past seven games while also hitting the mark five times. Last year, Greene led Dartmouth with 21 assists on the season.
This squad has continued to climb in the national rankings to their currently 10th position with a 6-1 record.
The Big Green have outshined their opponents in nearly every category. They have outscored their opponents 86-58 in the past seven showings. Also, in the draw controls, the Big Green continues to dominate 70-65.
"I think from now on, every game counts," Mendelson said. "If we want to make it to the NCAA's, we need to stay focused. We can't take any team for granted."
Hoping to move one step closer to the Ivy League title, the Big Green plan on going all out and not letting up when they step on the field to face Cornell.
The Big Red are a strange breed within the Ivy League. They boast two of the top three point-scorers within the league, yet they are only 0-3 against Ivy opponents.
Cornell's strength lies in its attacking line. Junior Cari Hills will be looking to build on her 26-game goal scoring streak. With 31 points on the season (18 goals, 13 assists), Hills picked up her fourth career seven-point game with five goals and two assists against Columbia last weekend.
The Big Green must also keep a watchful eye on senior Lauren Feinstein, who has had at least one point in her last seven games. She already has 13 goals and seven assists forthe season.
The good news for Dartmouth is that while the Big Red offense carries the hotstick, the Cornell defense has more holes than a chunk of Swiss cheese.
Cornell's starting goalie, senior Chak Yelena has a 10.41 goals-against average while her backup, sophomore Sonia Novik, lets in an average 12.34 goals per game.
In the end, the crowds can expect a high-scoring game. But the numbers of the past seem to favor the Big Green. Now a perfect 2-0 in the Ivy League and topping the league standings, Dartmouth has topped two nationally-ranked squads so far this season and are currently seeded 10th in the national poll.
Saturday's match against the Big Red will be nothing more than a chance for the Big Green to stretch their perfect league record to 3-0.
"Emotions play strongly in the Ivy League matches," Carroll said. "We have been working on our teamwork and every game we plan to take our play to the next level."
The opening draw is scheduled for noon.
The Cornell game will serve as a prelude to the Big Green's three-game homestand next week against James Madison, Yale and Brown.
