With snow and ankle-deep slush delaying any thoughts of spring, the hottest thing in Hanover these days may very well be the men's lacrosse team. Off to its best start since the 1995 team that started the year 6-0, Dartmouth is on a roll. The Big Green has raced out of the gates and carries a 4-1 record into tomorrow's 1 p.m. contest against the University of Hartford at Scully-Fahey Field.
The Dartmouth men enter the game after a thrilling 9-8 overtime win at Sacred Heart last weekend. Trailing 8-5 in the fourth quarter, the Big Green scored three goals in the final two minutes to force the extra period. Scott Roslyn '03 capped the comeback by scoring his second goal of the game with just two seconds remaining on the clock. After winning a ground ball, Tom Daniels '04 found Roslyn who emerged through traffic to notch the tying goal.
With his first collegiate goal, Justin Weinstein '03 provided the overtime heroics for the Big Green. Weinstein went coast-to-coast on an 80-yard run for the unassisted game-winning goal.
Freshman Ben Grinnell's hat trick included his team-high 10th goal of the season while Mike Gault '03 came up big in the net with 10 saves, seven of which were in the second half and overtime.
The Dartmouth men split their other two games over spring break with a 12-5 win over Albany and a 15-7 loss to Duke. Going down an early goal to Albany served as a wake-up call as the Big Green responded with seven unanswered goals to take command of the game. Roslyn and Brandon Wright '05 netted four goals apiece for Dartmouth and Jake Dwyer '03 recorded a traditional hat trick of his own.
Against the Blue Devils, the 6th ranked team in the nation, Dartmouth found itself behind the eight ball early. Duke scored just four seconds into the game and three times in the first three minutes to jump out in front en route to the 15-7 win.
Saturday's match-up against the Hawks serves as Dartmouth's last tune up before beginning the gauntlet that is Ivy League lacrosse. Dartmouth will once again rely on solid defense and a balanced scoring attack. The Big Green is receiving contributions from old and new as the team's top four scorers each represent a different class. Grinnell (10g, 4a " 14pts) leads the way with Roslyn (7g, 3a " 10pts), senior co-captain Connor Price (6g, 4a " 10pts) and Daniels (2g, 7a " 9pts) close behind.
Hartford enters the game looking to put together two straight wins for the first time this season. The Hawks took advantage of a winless Holy Cross squad with a 19-8 midweek win to recover from a 19-5 drubbing at the hands of U.Mass last weekend. No doubt the Dartmouth long sticks will be focused on Brian LaMastro. Playing at attack, the senior became Hartford's all-time leading scorer with five goals in the game against Holy Cross. LaMastro has tallied 217 points during his 51 games in a Hawks uniform.
Saturday's meeting is only the second between these two schools. Dartmouth holds a 1-0 edge in the series after an 18-12 win during the 1999 season. The Big Green hopes for a repeat performance to keep the momentum rolling as next weekend's Ivy opener against Penn looms around the corner.
