Dartmouth field hockey was a perfect 2-0 this week, winning Wednesday at UMass and Saturday against Columbia at home. Lizzie Bildner '08 took three shots all week and each of them found the back of the cage. Dartmouth owes this week's success to her marksmanship and the authority of the Big Green defense. Bildner scored twice in the 2-1 double-overtime victory over UMass.
Her first goal tied the game with just under seven minutes remaining in regulation, and the other won the game in the second overtime.
In the first extra frame the Minutewomen managed 10 shots, but Dartmouth keeper Lauren Balukjian '06 kept them from scoring. Dartmouth managed 15 shots in the game, 10 of which were on cage.
Dartmouth converted one of its seven penalty corners when Bildner tipped the ball past UMass keeper Becky Letourneau. Whitney Waugh '08, who recorded an assist on the play, took the shot off the corner and Bildner was in position to finish. UMass failed to capitalize on any of the team's five corners.
The UMass loss snaps the Minutewomen's four-game winning streak and drops their record to 6-10 overall.
Dartmouth's defense remained dominant for their 2-0 shutout of Columbia on Homecoming Saturday at Scully-Fahey Field. Waugh scored the game's first goal when she converted a penalty corner seven minutes into the first half. Lindsay Gossage '08 and Laura Kistler '08 assisted the play.
Bildner put the game away when she scored her second unassisted and third goal of the weekend with about five minutes of regulation left.
Waugh and Bildner's goals put them in a tie for team leader with five goals each on the season.
Balukjian successfully secured the cage for all 70 minutes, earning her second clean sheet of the season. She made six saves, several of which required a fair degree of acrobatics.
Immediately following Waugh's goal, Columbia tested Balukjian who lunged with her right leg to kick the ball out of danger. She continued her stoic performance when near the end of the first half she made a sprawling save after a penalty corner to keep Columbia off the board.
About 12 minutes into the second half Gossage was denied on a breakaway when she collided with Columbia keeper Kristina George. Dartmouth head coach Amy Fowler unsuccessfully appealed for a penalty corner citing an uncalled foul near the cage.
Dartmouth had only four penalty corners to Columbia's six. The Big Green defensive penalty unit held the Lions to a couple of scattered shots, which Balukjian handled easily.
With the two wins Dartmouth returns to a .500 record (7-7, Ivy 3-2). They are now tied with Brown for third place in the Ivy League behind Princeton and Cornell. Princeton has clinched first place, but Dartmouth can still catch Cornell who it plays in the regular-season finale. Columbia drops to 6-7 and 0-4 in the Ancient Eight.
Next week Dartmouth travels to Cambridge, Mass. to take on Harvard and upstate New York to take on the Orange from Syracuse. The Harvard game starts at 12 p.m. on Saturday in Cambridge. Harvard has dropped eight straight games and is 5-9 on the season with a 1-4 record against Ivy opponents. Last year Harvard beat Dartmouth 3-0. Syracuse's record stands at 9-8 after splitting its weekend series. Dartmouth won the last meeting between the teams 3-1. Gametime is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. on Sunday.
