The Big Green women's soccer team catapulted into first place and the driver's seat in the Ivy League race with a decisive 4-0 victory over Yale University in New Haven Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs and Big Green both came into the game with just one Ivy loss, but Dartmouth improved to 4-1 in the conference (6-4-1 overall) while Yale dropped to 2-2 in the Ivies (7-5-1 overall).
The game was lopsided from beginning to end, with Dartmouth outshooting Yale 17-9 and striking early and often.
The Big Green scored their first two goals within a period of seven minutes when April Rasala '99 scored at 16:52 and then Abby Gillard '01 at 23:58 to make it a 2-0 game.
Rasala's goal was a huge lift for the Big Green, who seemed to be having trouble getting into the flow of a game which started out at a very methodical pace.
"The game felt like a shooting box for everyone because we had not only forwards involved in our offense, but also the fullbacks as well," senior Betsy Dobbin '98 said.
Dartmouth was just as strong defensively, as Kristin Luckenbill '01 faced only eight shots in her 76 minutes of play, before Annie Eckstein '98 returned to action after breaking a finger earlier in the season. Both goalies looked solid in the net in the second half as they faced a seemingly inspired Bulldog squad.
Michelyne Pinard '98 added two second-half insurance goals and team-scoring leader Melissa Roth '00 had two assists on the day, to round out the offense for the Big Green. Pinard's first score came early in the half earning praise from teammate and tri-captain Dobbin.
"That goal really deflated their intensity and confidence," Dobbin said.
"Everyone was really pumped going into the game. The team worked the ball around really well, and our game as a whole came together," Eleanor Siegel '01 said.
The victory over Yale marked Dartmouth's first road win of the season, and it couldn't have come at a more opportune time in the season. The Green needed this win to remain above .500 and to claim first place in the Ivy League.
Harvard (3-1) and Penn (2-1) are tied with Dartmouth in the loss column, but they each have fewer victories than the Big Green. Should Dartmouth win its remaining two league games (home vs. Harvard and at Columbia), Penn would need to win all four of its remaining contests to gain a share of the crown. Otherwise, the Green would earn the title and a return trip to the NCAA tournament.
But, before the Green can fight for the title, they must take on the University of Vermont on Tuesday afternoon, a team that head coach Kelly Blasius-Knudsen knows all too well, having coached them for the last two years.
"Vermont is an important game, but our focus has always been the Ivy League title," Dobbin said.
