It was deja vu all over again for the Big Green women's soccer team yesterday as they were beaten 2-0 by the University of Connecticut who came into the game ranked eighth in the nation. Last year, the Huskies ended Dartmouth's season by beating them on the same field in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
The Big Green were dominated for virtually the entire game by the national power, getting outshot 16-6 and giving up a goal in each half.
Connecticut got on the board in the 38th minute when Sarah Barnes connected from the edge of the box. That would be all the scoring the Huskies would need, as their defense was impenetrable, allowing only three Green shots into the arms of goalkeeper Jen Traw.
The Huskies would seal the game in the 47th minute when Sara Whalen scored on a cross to tally the final goal of the game, a goal that would turn out not to be necessary.
Dartmouth goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill '01 came into the game fourth in Division I with a 0.37 goals against average, but she was scored upon twice in the same game for the first time all season. She has impressed every opposing coach this season and mustered eight saves to keep the Big Green in the game until the very end.
After a day off today, Dartmouth (3-1-0 Ivy) meets league rival Yale (2-1-0 Ivy) in New Haven on Saturday afternoon. Sitting in a tie with Yale for second place in the Ivy League, the game could go a long way in determining who wears the crown this year and gets to advance to the tournament.
Dartmouth sits a half of a game behind Penn in the standings but lost to the Quakers early in the season. Yale is a full game behind the Quakers. A loss for either team tomorrow would end almost any hope for the Ivy League title this season.
The Big Green simply have not dealt well outside the friendly confines of Chase Field. They are 5-1-1 in home games this season, but have lost all three of their road games. This could spell trouble for the squad of Kelly Blasius-Knudsen '91 who has five of their remaining seven games on the road including tough dates at Maryland, ranked No. 19 in the nation and Boston University, ranked sixth in the Northeast.
Tri-captain Betsy Dobbin '98 emphasized the importance of the Yale game and the two Ivy League contests against Harvard and Columbia which follow later in the season.
"Our biggest goal this year has been to win the Ivies because that will guarantee us an NCAA bid so that we can return to the tournament," Dobbin said. "No matter what happens during the rest of the season, that has remained our absolute focus."
