Senior Andrew Dance's job is to stop the shots from getting into the net. On Saturday afternoon against Brown University, Dartmouth's ace goalkeeper accomplished his task superbly when the team needed him the most.
Holding a one goal lead with ninety seconds remaining in the contest, the senior goaltender stopped back-to-back one-on-one shots on his doorstep by Brown attackers as Dance helped rookie Head Coach Rick Sowell grab his first Ivy League victory.
"It felt good to come up with a couple key saves late in the game," Dance said. "I didn't really do anything different, just reacted to the ball. I'm just happy that the shots ended up in my stick and not in the back of the net."
The Dartmouth men's lacrosse team improved to 4-6 overall and 1-3 in Ivy League while Brown dropped to 3-8 overall and 2-3 in Ivy play. The win came after losing two straight Ivy games to Cornell and Yale last week.
"Beating Brown today was something our team needed," Dance said. "We have been so close in the past couple games that it was really heartbreaking to walk away with losses. Today, we put together a full game and notched a win."
Dartmouth trailed 4-3 late in the second quarter, but junior Jeremy Desor's hustle helped to knot the score at four with just one second remaining in the first half. After nearly falling down in the middle of the field, Desor held onto the ball despite continuous checking from Brown defenders. Then, Georges Dyer '01 sprinted all the way to and around the goal crease to make a pass to Schuyler Minert '01 that eventually ended up in Brown's goal net.
In the third quarter, after failing to score on its own power-play, Dartmouth gave itself a one-goal edge on Brown's power-play when sophomore sensation Adam Solow '01 scored after receiving a long pass off an interception in the mid-zone.
The Bears responded with two straight goals in the third frame and led the Big Green, 6-5, heading into the final quarter.
At the 1:43 mark of the fourth quarter, though, Desor shined again on offense as he scored on a one-bounce submarine shot from outside that beat Brown defenders and goalkeeper Strider Dickson. The goal came after a few good passes by Dartmouth attackers.
"We played the best game we have played so far and it seemed that we worked together well," defenseman Josh Holman '01 said. "It was the first game that our defense and attack complemented each other perfectly -- when our defense was tired, our attack would hold the ball and come up with a goal."
After Dance made another spectacular save in the net, attacker Dyer notched a key goal that eventually became the game-winner. With 5:33 left in the regulation, Dyer took a rifle shot on a pass from Ross Johnson '02 that beat Brown's Dickson .
Brown outshot Dartmouth 32-28, but Dance's late-game heroics proved good enough for victory for the Big Green. Dance recorded a season-high 15 saves, while Brown's Dickson had 11.
"We really didn't change our strategy at all late in the game," Dance said. "Our game plan had been fairly successful up to that point so we just stuck with it. We really just wanted to get the ball back and down to the other end."
Johnson led the offense for Dartmouth as he scored twice and assisted two others.
"I can hardly describe how awesome it felt to win today," Johnson said. "Today's win was huge for us. Games like this are the reason I play lacrosse. I had more fun today by far than I've ever had playing lacrosse for Dartmouth."
"The win today was a confirmation that all the hard work we have been putting in pays off," defenseman Alex Grishman '01 said. "We limited our own mistakes and we capitalized on the mistakes that they were making."
Dartmouth defeated Brown last year in another one-goal game when the Big Green walked away with a 14-13 victory from Providence. Last year's win was Dartmouth's first since 1983.
"It feels great to have beaten Brown for the second year in a row," attacker David Maher '99 said. "Everything came together for us today. It was team effort and we'll enjoy this one for a while."
"I can't tell you how happy we all were to win this one for our coaching staff," Dance said. "They've been so patient with us all year, and we are all happy to pull through finally with this kind of win."
"This game was monumental," Chris O'Hara '01 said. "It solidified for us what we have been telling ourselves all along this season through those close games that we lost. We can play with any team if we get to the fourth quarter."
Dartmouth outscored the Bears 2-0 in the fourth quarter.
"It was really great too for the seniors who have taken their licks to have a win like this in front of a terrific home crowd," O'Hara added.
Dartmouth returns to action on Tuesday against the University of Vermont at 4 p.m. in Burlington. Then, the Big Green will visit the nation's 11th-ranked Tigers of Princeton on Saturday.
"Something was completed yesterday in the Brown game," Holman said. "Dartmouth lacrosse took that final step to becoming a great team."
"We've been playing hard all season, it was just nice to finally have a payday. Hopefully we'll keep it up for a few more games," Dance said.
