The women's lacrosse team returned to Hanover on Sunday without the school's first women's NCAA title. After finishing as the national runner-up, feelings of disappointment would certainly be understandable. However, the team can take consolation in knowing that it lost to the best opponent after playing its best possible game on a national stage.
As the clock ran out on the Big Green's season with Northwestern ahead 7-4, Dartmouth had done everything in its ability to compete with the Wildcats, but came up short.
They say defense wins championships, and the Big Green played tremendous defense throughout the game, especially in the first half. However, the difference between winning and losing came down to the way Northwestern dictated the game. Through superb ball control, athleticism and some luck, the Wildcats forced the Big Green into rushing its execution on the offensive end.
In the first half, the Wildcats were on the attack for seven and a half minutes before Dartmouth got a chance to move the ball over midfield. At this juncture, it was clear than the Big Green would have to make the most out of its few possessions. Despite being outshot 15-6 in the first stanza, the Big Green was quick to create chances in the Northwestern zone, leading to three goals.
Devon Wills '06 played a fantastic opening half, holding Northwestern to a season-low two goals in the frame. Let's not take anything away from her even though the Wildcats hit the post five or six times; the iron is a goalie's best friend, and a goalie's positioning sometimes has a lot to do with an attacker hitting the crossbar or hitting mesh. Wills not only did well stopping shots, but her presence in the clearing game helped spur the Big Green transition into offense.
Ultimately, Northwestern's offensive prowess and athleticism could not be restrained in the second half. The Wildcats have some great athletes on their squad, and there were moments when the sheer speed of the Northwestern players put them in a position to score against the Big Green.
Northwestern displayed its quickness right out of the gate, as Sarah Albrecht scored two goals in the first ten minutes of the second half to knot the score at 4-4. On her second, she ran all the way from the midfield to stick a shot past Wills through two converging defenders.
After Albrecht's first goal, Sarah Szefi '07 put on a brilliant display with her own fantastic score. Szefi took a feed with her stick in her right hand from across the offensive zone to the low right post and spun to put the ball into the short side of the net.
With Dartmouth clinging to a one-goal lead, one had to wonder -- Could the Big Green do it? Could Dartmouth clamp down on defense and maybe get a few more goals to put the game out of reach? Unfortunately, neither of those aspirations were realized, and offensive miscues and fundamental mistakes ultimately did Dartmouth in when the final whistle blew.
Wills' misplay of the ball off a pass was unfortunate, but in such a close-scoring contest, luck can be just as important as skillful shooting. Once Northwestern pulled ahead 5-4 midway through the half, the Wildcats could use their possession-oriented attack to milk the clock and limit Dartmouth's chances on offense.
Coincidently, when the defense forced turnovers, the Big Green was unable to handle passes close to the goal or win the ground ball battle. Several times, a Big Green attacker down near the Wildcat goal would either have trouble handling a pass or run into a swarming group of Northwestern defenders. And quality shot opportunities, like a good-angle free-position shot with 10 minutes to play, were stopped by Northwestern keeper Morgan Lathrop.
In the words of head coach Amy Patton, "Today wasn't our best day, but it was the best effort we could give." The Big Green played a tremendous defensive game and showed a remarkable amount of heart on the big stage, but at the end of the day, the sound execution of the Northwestern game plan and too little offense proved to be the difference.
