The Dartmouth women play Notre Dame Friday at 8:30 p.m. at Boston University's Nickerson Field. If they beat the Irish, they will play either Northwestern or Duke in Sunday's national championship game.
Dartmouth and Notre Dame have never faced each other, but Big Green head coach Amy Patton says she is familiar with the Irish.
"We have seen them play, and we are expecting a really strong team to come at us," Patton said. "But we have to keep the focus on ourselves. We really need to stick to our gameplan. That seems to be the difference when we are winning."
If the results are any indication, it appears that defense has been a large part of that gameplan. The Big Green is leading Division I women's lacrosse in scoring defense, allowing an average of only 6.72 goals each game. Dartmouth is also first in caused turnovers with 12.89 per contest.
Notre Dame on the other hand is an offensive power. The Irish are fifth in the nation in scoring with 14.17 goals per game. And Notre Dame senior Crysti Foote is second in the nation in points and goals scored.
Last week in the tournament quarterfinals, both Dartmouth and Notre Dame beat in-conference foes. The Big Green overcame Princeton 7-6 at home in overtime. Notre Dame defeated the higher-seeded Georgetown 12-9 on the road.
Notre Dame and Dartmouth are the sixth and seventh seeds, respectively, in this year's tournament, and both teams have been red-hot of late. The Irish have won five games in a row, and the Big Green has won seven of eight.
"Notre Dame is a very good team. They have had a great season this year, and they're coming off a big win over their conference rivals," Lizzy Cuneo '06 said. "I'm confident in our team, but I know that we will have another fight on our hands."
The only team competing this weekend that Dartmouth has already played this season is Duke. The top-seeded Blue Devils defeated the Big Green 6-4 in Hanover on May 7.
The Duke women will be wearing wrist bands reading "Innocent" to support the three Duke men's lacrosse players who were indicted as a result of a sexual assault allegation earlier this spring.
Three of this year's final four teams also played in last year's Final Four, including Dartmouth. Last year the Big Green fell to Northwestern, the eventual champion, in the national semifinals. Duke, the 2006 tournament's top seed, also lost in the semifinals last season.
The Dartmouth women say they are glad that the Final Four is in Boston, because its close proximity to campus means a shorter trip for both players and potential supporters.
"We're really excited that it's in Boston. It feels more like home to us," Patton said. "We're familiar with the BU field, and we're hoping to get a really big crowd to support us -- not only from Dartmouth, but also from other Northern fans."
Kristen Barry '08 had a similar opinion.
"This is like a home game for us," she said. "It is a pretty close trip from campus and we are hoping to have a great fan base like we have had the past few games. The fans have really been a huge part of the game, and we appreciate the support tremendously."
The Dartmouth Athletic Department is planning to send a bus to Boston on Friday afternoon so fans can see the Final Four. Scheduled to leave at 3:30 p.m. from the Berry Center parking lot, the bus is set to arrive early enough for spectators to watch Duke and Northwestern play at 6 p.m. It should leave shortly after the Dartmouth game ends.
The bus will cost $10 to ride, $5 for Dartmouth students. The team will sponsor a pregame reception in the Francis Burke Club Room at the Agganis Arena, adjacent to Nickerson Field. Fans are encouraged to attend.
If the Big Green wins Friday, expect the bus to make another trip to Boston on Sunday. But whether or not Dartmouth plays in it, the national final will be held at Nickerson Field on Sunday at noon.
