Despite the relatively lopsided final score, the Big Green trailed late in the first half before Sarah Szefi '07 tied the game at 3-3 with 10 seconds left on the clock.
The game might have been tied at the break, but in the second half Dartmouth made it very clear that it was the better team.
The Big Green came out firing after the intermission. Dartmouth notched the first six goals of the second half to take a commanding 9-3 lead. The Crimson and the Big Green each scored twice in the last few minutes to bring the game to its final score of 11-5.
"We played a really strong last 20 minutes of the game," said Dartmouth head coach Amy Patton.
The Big Green scored six times in the final 20 minutes, while Harvard scored only twice -- its only two goals of the second half.
"I thought our defense played really well to hold them to only a few goals," Patton said.
Kristen Barry '08, who had three goals and two assists in the rout, scored the game's first goal five minutes into the opening period. She also scored twice near the end of the second half.
"Kristen Barry had a great game," Patton said, "It was her breakout performance." Barry's hat trick gives her 19 goals for the season.
Szefi, Casey Hazel '06, and Kristen Zimmer '06 added two goals each, while Jen Pittman '07 and Annie Leibovitz '06 had the other Dartmouth goals. Zimmer and Hazel also each added an assist.
Szefi has scored at least one goal in all 12 games this season. She leads the team with 26 goals.
Recording only 13 shots, Harvard rarely pressured Dartmouth goalkeeper Devon Willis '06. Still Willis made four saves in the game.
Kathryn Tylander, Harvard's junior goalie, managed to stop 13 of Dartmouth's 29 shots.
With the loss the Crimson falls to 3-10 (1-3 in conference). Meanwhile Dartmouth improves to 8-4 (4-2).
Last on the Big Green's conference schedule are the first-place Princeton Tigers. The No. 10 Tigers are undefeated (5-0) in conference play and have an 8-4 overall record. Dartmouth and Princeton face off at 3 p.m. Saturday in Princeton.
"The Dartmouth-Princeton rivalry is one of the best in women's lacrosse, and it's always a tough game," Patton said. "The team that prevails will be the one who executes its game plan the best."
A win against Princeton is the only way Dartmouth can keep its hopes for a share of the Ivy title alive. But even with a win, Dartmouth will need lots of help. Currently both Cornell and Princeton sit ahead of Dartmouth in the standings, and Cornell has already beaten the Big Green. Both the Tigers and the Big Red have two games left.
If all three teams finish with two losses in the conference, they would share the Ivy crown. But there is only one automatic bid to the NCAA tournament, and that would have to be decided by tiebreakers.
As of now even a share of the title is a long shot for the Big Green, the Ivy League's preseason favorite. But Dartmouth will still have a chance if it wins Saturday at Princeton. Either way, a strong finish would go a long way towards securing an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.
