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The Dartmouth
July 17, 2025 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

No. 3 Lady Green upset in opener by No. 13 Syracuse

Head coach Amy Patton was disappointed by the result and the team's early play, but was also glad to see the squad's heart and effort on display in its first game of the season.

"We just didn't play well for the first half, and Syracuse really took it to us," Patton said. "But I was impressed at how we battled back."

Syracuse's Caitlyn Dragon slipped the last goal in with just a second left in the second overtime period to upset the Big Green.

Syracuse (2-0) jumped out to a 5-3 lead at the half. Early in the second half, the Orange widened the lead to 7-3.

However, with goals from Kristen Zimmer '06, Sarah Szefi '07 and Whitney Douthett '07, the team went on a 3-0 run in four minutes to close the gap to 7-6 with 18:41 to play. Douthett had scored two goals in the first half and went on to finish with a game-high four goals.

But Syracuse was not done yet, and the Orange went on a scoring run of its own, extending the lead to 9-6. Down three goals deep into the second half, however, the Big Green women came storming back.

With 10:10 remaining in regulation time, Casey Hazel '06 scored the first of three goals that would send the game into overtime. With two seconds left in regulation, Szefi scored her third goal in heavy traffic to even the score at nine goals apiece.

"[Douthett] tried to take [the last shot] first and then Sarah [Sfezi] was on the crease," said Patton. "She hit her and she was able to put the shot in. We were all shaking our heads in disbelief. She was covered by two people, and I had to slow down and look at the tape two or three times to see how she was able to get that shot off."

In the first overtime period, Syracuse scored to claim a 10-9 advantage over the Big Green. With 17 seconds remaining in the second period, Douthett responded with a clutch goal to tie the game. Not to be outdone, however, Syracuse's Dragon found the back of the net in the last second to give her team the dramatic win.

Despite the loss, the Dartmouth's women's team demonstrated its ability to show up in the clutch. Patton expects that once the team can develop its chemistry and eliminate some early-season kinks, it can resume its dominant play.

"We've just got to keep trusting in each other, tighten up some things, and we'll be ready [for this Saturday's game]," Patton said.

For the Lady Green, Szefi led the way on Monday night with three goals, and three-time All-Ivy first-team goalie Devon Wills '06 recorded eight saves.

"We've got to tighten up some things -- get our attack in sync with one another," Patton said of the team. "We need the defense to continue to be aggressive. We kind of sat back on our heels on defense. We have to push each other to get better."

The Big Green will remain on the road to take on in-state rival University of New Hampshire on Saturday at 1 p.m.