No. 17 Dartmouth easily dispatched Brown 17-5 on Saturday at home in a game where the outcome was never in doubt. The much-needed victory was the most impressive outing for the Big Green thus far, which should bode well for the team heading into the meat of the Ivy League schedule.
The victory improves Dartmouth's record to 6-3 overall and a 2-1 record in conference play, while Brown falls to 3-6 and 0-1 in the Ivy League.
Brown was no match for Dartmouth's athleticism and speed. The Big Green's attackers and midfielders maintained possession throughout the contest, allowing very few scoring opportunities for the Bears' forwards.
Dartmouth built up an 11-1 lead before halftime and never looked back. Offensively Dartmouth dominated by having twice as many shots on goal than Brown, 26-13. The Bears had only managed two shots on goal in the first half.
The Big Green got its offense going right out of the gates with contributions from an unlikely source. Kate Labrum '08, who had scored two goals in the previous two seasons combined, had the best game of her career as she scored back-to-back goals in the first six minutes to jump start the offense.
Along with Labrum, the usual contributors had exceptional games to help the Big Green's cause. Jen Pittman '07 and Kristen Barry '08 led all scorers with four goals a piece. Whitney Douthett '07, Sarah Szefi '07 and Katherine Chiusano '09 chipped in with a pair of goals.
Douthett and Szefi also dished out three assists each, while Barry and Margo Duke '07 had an assist each.
Douthett was happy with her play, as well as with the team's overall effort.
"Today was definitely one of our better games," Douthett said. "The attack and the midfield really clicked today, and our defenders avoided making fouls by moving their feet effectively. I would say today was a game of clicks, because everything was really working."
In goal, Julie Wadland '10 had very little work to do in the first half due to Brown's sputtering offense and Dartmouth's speedy defense. Wadland, who made one save in the first half, was credited with the win.
Fellow freshman netminder Chelsea Kirk '10 relieved Wadland in the second half and made four saves, several of which looked like sure goals, to snuff out any possibility of a comeback.
Head coach Amy Patton was pleased on all fronts with her team's performance.
"We were able to set the tone today by winning ground balls, so that was good to see," she said. "Our attack played hard and with authority, and a lot of the goals today were assisted and everyone was passing well. One area in which we really improved is not committing fouls, which has been something that has plagued us all season. Overall, it was a total team effort."
The Big Green committed a season-low 10 fouls to keep the Bears from getting free-position opportunities. Brown committed 18 fouls on the day, which led to five free-position goals for Dartmouth.
The next game for the Big Green will be an away contest at Burlington, Vt. against the University of Vermont's Catamounts at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 3.
Looking ahead to the next game, Patton stressed the importance of her players focusing on her own team.
"Today was the first time in over a month that we've actually been able to put into play what we've been working on in practice, so we would like to continue that," Patton said. "We're just going to focus on ourselves and not Vermont and we will try to dictate the outcome of the game."
Douthett echoed Patton's sentiments.
"We're going to take it like any other game," Douthett said. "It'll be important to focus on what we're doing and not worry about the opponent."
