Minutes away from defeat, the Dartmouth field hockey team mustered up some last-minute heroics to master the Minutewomen of Massachusetts. Lauren Welsh's equalizer late in regulation and Carolyn Steele's game-winner in overtime carried the Big Green (10-4) past the University of Massachusetts (8-8), 2-1, yesterday afternoon in Amherst.
Tuesday's match-up featured two confident squads playing at the peak of their games. Despite entering the game with seven losses, UMass was in the midst of a five-game winning streak. With a 5-0 conference record, the Minutewomen have already wrapped up the Atlantic-10 regular season title.
After a few midseason hiccups, the Dartmouth women have found their stride of late. Carrying a three-game winning streak of their own, the Big Green had outscored their opponents 10-0 during that stretch. With two heavyweights entering the field in Amherst, the Big Green knew they had to be ready to go the distance.
In the first half, Kirsten Anderson '02 extended her scoreless minute streak to 287 before UMass finally found a way to beat the seemingly invincible goaltender. The Minutewomen jumped on top at the 11:12 mark of the first half with a goal by Lindsay Abbott. Abbott deflected a pass from Sarah Bohonowicz to give UMass a 1-0 lead. It was the first goal Anderson and the Dartmouth defense have allowed since October 9.
UMass carried the lead into the half and for the first time in four games, the Big Green entered the break without a lead. Dartmouth emerged for the second thirty-five needing a goal to stay alive. Unfortunately for the Big Green, the second half began the same as the first and left the visitors looking for a way to turn things around.
On the road and down a goal, Dartmouth appeared to be in dire straits as the second half ticked away. Coach Amy Fowler called a timeout with 15 minutes left hoping to get her team out of its funk.
In the huddle, "we decided to pick up our intensity and get the win no matter what it might take," said Averill Doering '04. Rather than become rushed and frantic as the minutes ticked away, the Big Green remained poised and patient. Finally, the Big Green's persistence paid off. With 8:41 remaining in regulation, Dartmouth got the goal it desperately needed from a familiar face. Following a shot by Rebekka Stucker '04, Lauren Welsh's deflection slipped past UMass goalie Ashley Egland to tie the game at one. While the final 8:41 passed without a goal, momentum was clearly on the Big Green's side.
"We went into overtime with so much energy UMass could barely get the ball over midfield," said Doering. UMass' only chance in overtime came on a penalty corner, but the shot never even reached the goal after being blocked by Caitlin Barrett '04. Dartmouth had several chances on goal and halfway through the first extra session made UMass pay by capitalizing on a penalty corner of their own. Off assists by Barrett and Doering, Carolyn Steele '03 blasted home the game-winner. "Steele jammed it up their throats they had no chance of stopping it" was Doering's description of the goal that sent UMASS fans home unhappy.
On the afternoon, Big Green held an 18-15 edge in shots and a 6-4 margin in penalty corners. Up next for Dartmouth is an Ivy League showdown in Cambridge when the Big Green kick off Harvard weekend against the Crimson on Friday afternoon.
