The Big Green built a 6-1 lead over No. 9 University of Pennsylvania in the first and second quarters, as Dartmouth's offense played with a level of intensity and execution that the Quaker defense could not match. However, the early success was all for naught, as Penn outscored the Big Green 9-3 for the remainder of the game to claim a 10-9 victory in Hanover.
Dartmouth endured a painful finish to their Ivy League opener. After trailing for the majority of the game, the Quakers took the lead with 6:39 remaining in the fourth quarter, pulling ahead 9-8. Penn controlled the ball with two minutes to play, looking to run out the clock on their offensive end.
With one minute left to play, Quaker attackman Patrick Rogers ran the ball behind the Big Green net, where Tim Daniels '08 delivered a diving one-handed check to knock the ball loose. Daniels picked up the ground ball and passed it down the field.
With 42 seconds left to play, Nick Bonacci '07 drew Penn goalkeeper Greg Klossner out of the net and fed a wide-open Brian Koch '09 on the crease for an easy finish. The freshman's third goal of the game restored hope to his team and sent the 530 fans at Scully-Fahey field to their feet.
The excitement would not last for long. On the ensuing face-off, Quaker midfielder Alan Eberstein pushed the draw past Daniels, controlled the ground ball and flipped a pass to DJ Andrzejewski. Andrzejewski ripped the game-winning shot past the right hip of Patrick Marshall '09 into the lower corner of the net with 36 seconds remaining.
Dartmouth's second-half shortcomings were reflected statistically. The Big Green won seven face-offs in the first half, but only two in the second half. The team also picked up six fewer ground balls in the second half than they did in the first.
As a result of the second half deficiencies, Dartmouth's offense could not dictate the pace of the game, allowing Penn's offense to take over.
The two-faced nature of the Big Green squad between halves is a mystery. Bonacci admitted he has no answers or explanation, but noted the team's change over time.
"In the beginning of the season we were playing well in the second half and not the first, and now it's the opposite" Bonacci said. "I'm not sure why and I don't think anyone really knows why ... The effort is there, we're playing hard. Things just haven't been going our way."
Despite the losing effort, Saturday's game featured strong individual efforts. Jamie Coffin '06 quarterbacked the offense, scoring two goals and assisting on another. Bonacci scored a goal and assisted three more, setting up two of Koch's three scores. Marshall made 12 saves on the game, and made six saves on eight shots on goal in the third quarter alone.
With the loss, the Big Green men find themselves with their backs against the wall. In order to qualify for the NCAA tournament, Dartmouth must win the Ivy League conference, since an at-large bid is unlikely.
The Big Green is 0-1 in the conference, with five league games remaining, including No. 5 Princeton, No. 6 Cornell, and No. 16 Harvard. It is certainly an uphill struggle for Dartmouth, but wins against top opponents are feasible -- Dartmouth has been ranked as high as No. 14 this season and has beaten a ranked team in Albany and lost to three others by one-goal margins.
The team believes it is better than its 4-5 overall record indicates.
"We should be 7-2 right now; we have three one-goal losses," Bonacci said. "We can look back on all these games and find one thing. We beat the No. 12 team in the country. Our record does not indicate where we are as a team."
As far as winning the Ivy League and qualifying for the tournament, Bonacci clarified that, "[an Ivy record of] 4-2 is not going to get us there, 5-1 will." The team is looking to win out the remainder of their Ivy schedule.
The resiliency of the Big Green will be put to the test on Saturday, when the squad travels to Ithaca, N.Y. to face-off against Cornell.
