The Dartmouth men's water polo team embarked upon its search for a second consecutive New England Championship during the weekend of Sept. 28, with wins over Tufts, Middlebury and Amherst. A loss to Boston College in overtime left the team in a three-way tie at the top of the league.
The Big Green's two-day tournament, which was held at Amherst College, began with a game against Tufts. Though the Jumbos scored first, Nick Chukiat '05 quickly returned fire, tying the score. This pattern continued through the half as the teams traded goals, going into halftime tied at nine apiece.
Dartmouth dug in during the second half, however, coming out strong with five consecutive goals shared by sophomores Mike Block, Matt Derr and Ryan Goldhahn. This lead held through the rest of half, with the game concluding in a 20-16 Dartmouth victory.
After a brief lunch, the team was again in the pool for its next match, against Middlebury College. The Big Green came out strong with goals by Goldhawn, Block and freshman Kemper Deihl, who nailed his first goal of the season. Middlebury fought back, however, and the half ended in a 5-5 tie.
The second half again started with a show of intensity from the Big Green, as Dartmouth scored two quick goals. Middlebury matched the two, but Mike Mothner '03 put the Big Green ahead by one right before the end of the third period.
The fourth period showcased a still-powerful Dartmouth team battling a tiring Middlebury defense. Derr and Goldhahn combined for three goals at the beginning of the quarter, which Middlebury could only counter with a single point.
Ross Markwort '04 stretched the lead to 12-4 off a power play shot from the deep corner. Though Middlebury organized a final burst of effort, it wasn't enough, and the game ended with Dartmouth ahead 13-11.
Against Amherst, Dartmouth jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the first quarter and never looked back, eventually winning by a 13-7 score.
Sunday's sole match for the Big Green pitted the group against Boston College. The Eagles came out in with a flurry of action, scoring three quick goals against a bewildered Dartmouth defense. The lead held until the end of the first half, when, down by three, the Big Green's Chukiat, Derr and Goldhahn fired home three shots to even things out at five.
The Eagles got two more before the half ended, however, and went into the third quarter up by two. Dartmouth had a strong third period though, taking over the lead, 10-9.
Dartmouth held this lead going into the final 40 seconds of the game, but a questionable exclusion foul turned things in the Eagles' direction. The accompanying ejection of goalie Pierce Perotti '06 gave the Eagles a two-man advantage, on which they capitalized, sending the game into overtime.
Three quick Eagles' goals made things difficult for the Big Green, but they managed to get one of their own before the end of the first overtime. Dartmouth was only able to chalk up one more goal before time ran out on the 15-16 defeat.
The team is working hard to prepare for the next tournament, at Middlebury on Oct. 12-13. Defending the New England Championship is the team's top priority, as Dartmouth has captured the title four times in the past six years, and also brought home a national championship during the 1997 season.
With five freshmen and a sophomore added to the mix of last year's championship team, including Kemper Diehl, Goalkeeper Pierce Perotti, Justin Pratt, Neil Putnam, Brian Taylor and Will Olivos, head coach Jim Wilson is excited with the increased depth of the bench.
The strong '06 class will also provide a solid foundation for future years.
In addition to Goldhawn, returning this year are co-captain Mothner, Derr, Markwort, Chukiat, and Paul Schned '03.
"We have a young team, but we've been working hard to get ready," said Goldhahn, last year's All-New England MVP and team co-captain. "Repeating as champion is our goal."
Indeed, the Big Green's preseaon training was impressive, with a ten-day trip to Stanford University and a shooting clinic with former Olympian and U.S. Olympic head coach John Vargas, now the head coach for the Cardinal.
So far, the Green look prepared for the road ahead. Whether that road will lead them to a fifth New England Championship in seven years remains to be seen.
