In their first home win this season, Dartmouth's women's soccer team defeated UNH 3-2, extending their winning streak to two.
The Wildcats jumped on the scoreboard first just 2:42 into the contest when freshman Chiara Best lofted a shot over the head of Julia Shields '04 for a 1-0 lead. Sophomore Shannon Altman assisted on the goal.
The Big Green would answer quickly as Annie Gibson '03 scored her career-best fourth goal of the season on a pass from Mary McVeigh '03 at the 13:43 mark. The shot just edged into the gap between the post and Wildcat goalie Kristin Ouellette's outstretched hand to tie the game at 1.
Dartmouth took the lead almost 10 minutes later when Hanna Putnam '03 launched a pass into the middle of the crease, and McVeigh nailed it home to grab a one goal lead.
The Wildcats came charging back as Best scored again at 27:17 to tie the score at 2. Best had a clear shot on goal as Shields had edged too far out of the crease and wasn't able to move back quickly enough to make the save.
Though the first half ended with the score tied at 2, Dartmouth dominated much of the play, and a number of excellent Big Green shots sailed just wide or were tipped above the goal by Ouellette.
In the second frame, both the Big Green and the Wildcats came out looking aggressive, but neither was able to create an opportunity to score. With only 22 minutes left in the game, Laura Ashley '03 sent a pass across the crease to a waiting Devon Haskell '03 who sent a shot towards the goal that landed just on top of the net.
Soon after, Gibson took a shot at a wide-open net that was just blocked by Wildcat captain Farrell Swain, as Ouellette was too far out of the crease to make the save.
The Big Green had another opportunity with 13 minutes left in the game, and this time, they seized it and the lead.
Dartmouth took control of the ball and sent play downfield to the UNH goal. Gibson and Haskell each took shots on goal, but it was Ashley who finally sent it to the back of the net on a rebound at the 77:19 mark. It was her first goal of the season.
The Big Green put the pressure on the Wildcats all afternoon as Dartmouth outshot UNH, 34-11. Between the pipes, Shields made two saves in the first half and Anne Marbarger '05, who came on in the second half, was untested. Ouellette had 11 for the Wildcats.
It was the second straight win for the Big Green (3-2) while New Hampshire slips to 2-6-3, and extends their losing streak to four games. Dartmouth will return to action against Yale on Saturday, Oct. 6, at 12:00 pm.
