In a field hockey conference like the Ivy League, it's important for a team to hit the ground running and notch victories early in the season. Otherwise, the short league schedule will have little mercy on squads who fall quickly behind.
For the Dartmouth field hockey team, Saturday's game against the University of Pennsylvania at Scully-Fahey Field could determine the direction of the team's conference destiny. The Big Green sports a 0-2 Ivy record (1-5 overall) going into the contest and sits in seventh place in the standings.
With five more Ivy League games to play, a win against the Quakers -- tied for fourth in the league with Columbia with a 1-1 conference record (3-6 overall) -- could put Dartmouth in a position to make a run at the top spots in the league.
A loss to Penn, on the other hand, would almost certainly drop the Big Green out of contention for the league's top spot -- and the automatic NCAA tournament bid that goes along with it.
Brown, who defeated the Big Green, 0-2, in Hanover on Saturday, Sept. 9, sits atop the Ivy League at 2-0, followed by 3-0 Princeton. Cornell, with a 2-1 conference record, is third. Sixth-place Columbia and last-place Harvard, both 0-2, round out the standings.
Last year, Dartmouth enjoyed a successful season in the league, earning a second-place finish in the conference with a 5-2 record.
The Big Green stood at 1-2 after the first three games, which included a 4-0 home loss to eventual champion Princeton, but rebounded to win the next four Ivy games. The other loss came in a 0-1 defeat to the Quakers in Philadelphia, Pa.
Offensive woes have plagued the Big Green during its early season defeats. Statistically, Dartmouth's first six opponents have outperformed the Big Green in goals (22-9), shots (101-60) and penalty corners (55-28).
Similarly, Dartmouth's goalkeeping tandem of starter Ashley Heist '08 and Jordan Sedlacek '09 have been kept busy in net, making 49 saves compared to the opponents' combined total of 29. Heist goes into the Penn contest with a 4.72 goals against average.
Dartmouth's biggest performer on the attack has been Lizzie Bildner '08. Bildner leads the Big Green with six goals going into the weekend, well ahead of Whitney Waugh '08's three point total. She is currently tied for first in the Ivy League in goals (six) and points (12) with Brown's Andrea Posa. Bildner's 24 shots are also fourth best in the league and twice as many as the next best total on the team.
When Bildner gets into a groove on offense, she can be tough to stop. Just ask the players on the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, who watched as Bildner ran through and around the Minutewomen defense en route to her first collegiate hat trick in a 5-4 overtime victory for the Big Green.
Penn has allowed its opponents to record 90 shots in nine games, compared to the 93 shots taken by the Quakers. Despite the shot advantage, Penn has been outscored by a 17-10 margin during the span.
The Quakers also boast more balance in scoring production. Seven different players have scored at least one goal, and nine have registered at least one point. Meghan Rose leads the team with seven points on two goals and three assists.
Goalie Liz Schlossberg leads the Quakers in between the pipes. She has played every minute this season for Penn, making 44 saves with a 2.43 GAA.
Game time is slated for noon at Scully-Fahey Field. The Big Green follows up the Penn game with a road trip to Manchester to take on the University of New Hampshire at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 1.
