In preparing to make a run for the NCAA Tournament, testing your skills against the best teams in the country is a valuable experience. However, the Big Green women's soccer team has also found it a painful one, as Dartmouth entered yesterday's game against UNH at Chase Field on a five game losing streak that included defeats at the hands of Top 25 teams Stanford, Virginia, and Auburn.
Yesterday, though, that losing streak ended, as Dartmouth downed its in-state rival, 3-1, despite the absence of head coach Ben Landis, who missed the game in order to be with his wife Lisa, who was in labor with twins.
"We're very happy for him," said Big Green forward Lea Kiefer '04. "If he has to miss the game, this is a pretty good reason." Kiefer made a twin delivery of her own, scoring two goals, including the game winner, as Dartmouth improved on its 2-1 defeat of the Wildcats last season.
New Hampshire drew first blood with 7:16 gone in the first half, as sophomore forward Jackie Wishoski put the ball past Dartmouth goalkeeper Anne Marberger '05. Marberger was in position against Wishoski, and was able to put her hands on the ball, but the ball ricocheted up and back into the net for the first score of the afternoon.
Dartmouth tied the game in the 27th minute, when Kiefer put the ball in the net on a pass from Megan Wijas '06. It was Kiefer's second goal of the season, tying her with Wijas for the team scoring lead and ending the Big Green's three game scoreless streak.
The Big Green women were energized by Kiefer's score, as they continued to pepper Wildcat junior goalkeeper Liz MacKay, and earned several corner kick opportunities during the remainder of the half. However, MacKay withstood the pressure well, successfully backstopping a Wildcat team that was thoroughly outplayed through the remainder of the first half and sending the game to halftime tied at one goal apiece.
While MacKay was able to withstand the Dartmouth onslaught at the end of the first half, the Big Green women picked up right where they left off, energetically attacking the goal as they rode the emotional boost from Kiefer's score. "For us, scoring's a big confidence boost," said assistant coach Angela Hind, who took charge on the sidelines in Landis' absence.
"We've found it tough to find the back of the net, but also it hasn't helped when we've played tough opposition. So, that goal was more of a relief than anything. And from then on, you could see the girls just go and play with newfound confidence in their ability."
The Big Green justified that confidence in the 63rd minute when Kiefer scored her second goal of the afternoon on a pass from Sarah Johnson '06. On the goal, Kiefer became the Green's leading scorer this season, and Johnson tallied her first collegiate point.
However, as quickly as Dartmouth took the lead, the Wildcats looked to erase it, coming down the field and launching a shot at the goal less than 20 seconds after Kiefer's goal. Marberger came up to make the save, but was only able to deflect the shot, which continued to roll towards the net until co-captain Anne Peick '04 cleared the ball, ensuring that Dartmouth remained on top.
"It was a good save by Marbs," Kiefer said of the play, "and I feel like a lot of times this season, we've had the unfortunate luck of having one of their attackers finish balls like that, off of a good save. Peicker did a good job getting there."
Following the UNH scare, Dartmouth maintained its lead for the duration of the match, keeping the Wildcats at bay for over 20 minutes before Roxanne Davis '07 slammed the door shut by scoring her first collegiate goal on a second assist from Johnson.
The Big Green women will attempt to ride the momentum from yesterday's win into Saturday's Ivy League season opener against Brown (4-1-2, 0-0-0 Ivy). The Bears also hold a two-goal win over UNH, and have the reigning Ivy Player of the Week in goalkeeper Sarah Gervais. However, after topping the Wildcats and ending their losing streak, the Big Green women are riding a wave of confidence.
"We needed to prove to ourselves that we could score goals," Peick said. Against UNH, the Big Green women succeeded in that endeavor. Next, they'll attempt to prove it to Brown, as Dartmouth's Ivy League season begins on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Brown's Stevenson Field.
