Senior Kate Graw had the strongest desire to win and that's what made her the most valuable player.
When her team was struggling against No. 10 Boston University, Graw and her desire pushed the ninth-ranked Dartmouth women's lacrosse team with a four-goal, three-assist performance in yesterday's 11-6 victory.
"When teams in the top-10 face off, it's not really about who has the most skill, it's who has the most desire and heart on any given day," Graw said.
BU opened the scoring just 2:24 into the game, but Dartmouth countered with four unanswered tallies to create a 4-1 lead. Before that stretch, sophomore goalie Sarah Hughes made some incredible saves on two BU free-position chances.
Despite the three-goal edge, Dartmouth struggled during the rest of the first half, unable to connect passes and making some unforced turnovers in the Terriers' zone.
The Big Green led the Terriers only by one goal at halftime, 4-3.
"At halftime we knew that we had to pick up the intensity," senior Jacque Weitzel said.
And they did. The Big Green offense exploded to score four goals in the first seven minutes and took control of the game.
In that run, Suzy Gibbons '01 collected two goals and one assist.
"We definitely came out fired up in the second half and ready to play well," said Weitzel.
BU made the game 8-5, but that was as close as they got.
Big Green goalkeeper Hughes shined again in the net for Dartmouth. Hughes' spectacular saves kept away the Terriers' fierce attack late in the second half.
She collected 15 saves for the day.
After goals by Alison Moulin '02 and Graw, Weitzel capped the scoring with her third goal of the game to finish the match at 11-6.
Dartmouth won for the sixth straight time and now has a 7-1 record. BU dropped to 8-2.
"This is a big win not only because they are a very good team but also because they are in our region and whoever wins the region gets an automatic bid to NCAA's," Weitzel said.
Dartmouth hosts two games this weekend -- Pennsylvania on Saturday and No. 16 Penn State on Sunday.
"The rest of our games this season will all be about intensity and our team has the ability to play with the most heart of any team in the world," said Graw, who won Ivy Honor Roll last week.
