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The Dartmouth
March 29, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Lady Green kicks off Ivy schedule with win over Brown

The Dartmouth women scored with five minutes remaining in the game to edge the Bears of Brown 1-0.
The Dartmouth women scored with five minutes remaining in the game to edge the Bears of Brown 1-0.

"We are just happy to win," said captain Whitney Douthett '07, who scored her first collegiate goal in the game. "This is the Ivy League -- one loss and you are out."

"This is a huge win for us because every Ivy League game is a battle for pride," Douthett, a defender, continued.

Dartmouth played a sloppy first half that was punctuated by sporadic rain showers and had comparatively fewer attempts on goal than in previous contests. The Big Green took only three shots in the first half and Brown's goalkeeper Brenna Hogue did not have to make a single save.

"There is only one adjective to describe the first half: ugly," head coach Angie Hind said. "It is close to the worst performance for our team this season."

"Our offense just wasn't clicking," said Myra Sack '10, who had four shots in the game.

The clouds cleared and the sun came out when Dartmouth and Brown retreated to their huddles at half time knotted at zero.

"We came out slow in the first half, but after our halftime talk, we knew we had to pull it together," Douthett said. "I give kudos to my team for doing just that in the second half."

Brown nearly took the lead 25 minutes into the second half with a scramble in front of the Dartmouth net. However, Melissa Matulich '07 saved a goal by sliding across the net and blocking the ball.

Dartmouth's big break came when captain Megan Wijias '07 took a free kick for the Lady Green just yards outside of the penalty box. The ball was knocked around in front of the goal by several players before Douthett headed the ball over the outstretched netminder. Dartmouth's lone goal came with 5:40 remaining in the game.

The Big Green outshot the Bears 9-4 and held a 2-1 edge in corner kicks in the second half of play.

Brown neither displayed nor sustained the determination that helped its team defeat then-No. 13 Boston College just a week ago. The Bears had six opportunities to score in the first half on corner kicks alone but were unable to convert on a single one. Brown senior captain Kathryn Moos, Ivy League player of the Week, took five shots on the afternoon.

Hogue and Amanda Webb '08, who recorded her fourth shutout of the season in this win over Brown, both made six saves in goal.

"We really struggled so we are just glad to get in there at the end," Hind said. "I give credit to them because it was anyone's game, but I am pleased to get a win."

"We are happy with the results but not with the way we played," Hind added.

A healthier Big Green squad will hit the road this week, traveling to Syracuse (1-8-1) on Tuesday for a 3 p.m. start before visiting Princeton (3-3-1) on Saturday. Dartmouth then returns to Chase Field for a three-game homestand.

The Orange will look to rebound from a current four-game losing streak against Dartmouth. The Big Green leads the all-time series 6-2 and defeated Syracuse 3-1 at home last year. Syracuse is currently winless in conference play and its only win this season came against Portland State University (0-7-1).

Syracuse's record poses no imminent threat to Dartmouth, but the Big Green will certainly need to focus on Saturday's match-up against Princeton, who dropped a 2-1 heartbreaker to Yale, defending Ivy League champion, on Saturday night. The Tigers, a very physical team led by junior Diana Matheson, defeated Dartmouth 2-0 last season. Matheson, a starting center midfielder for Canada in the World Cup, has accumulated 11 points in five games this season and will look to complicate Dartmouth's Ivy championship hopes.