The men's team kicked off its spring season at the Yale Cup. After losing a tight game to Brown to start off the tournament, Dartmouth reeled off six straight victories to reach the finals against Harvard. However, the team, known as the "Pain Train," did not have enough steam to blow by the Crimson, as it fell 13-9. The second-place finish got the team going on the right foot, and captain Chris Cahill '07 was pleased with his team's play.
"At the Yale Cup, we developed a great team culture, and it was both competitive and a lot of fun," Cahill said. "It was also good to get our sideline involved. We carry a big team of about 24 kids, but in close games we'll only play 16 of them, so at Yale Cup the sideline players really got into the game, which was great."
Dartmouth's next competition was at sectionals held at Colby College, where the hardest part of the tournament was getting to the field. The players had planned to leave Hanover at 3:45 a.m. by bus, but the bus driver did not show up and the players were forced to carpool to Colby.
"We were going on four hours of sleep anyway, and several of the guys had to drive, which cost them some sleep and overall it was a large hassle," Cahill said. "Playwise, it wasn't too much of a difference. Our section is very weak, so in terms of results it didn't really make a difference."
Once the team got there, the Pain Train rolled to a regional championship.
In the sectionals, it looked as if the Pain Train would make a return to the national stage for the first time since 2003. Not only was Dartmouth seeded second in the section, but the games were held in Hanover. After steamrolling over Yale in the first round and grinding out a win over Tufts, Dartmouth was matched up with Williams in the semifinals with a bid to nationals on the line. The Pain Train had beaten Williams 12-6 in the Yale Cup, but this time around, Williams pulled off a 15-11 upset.
Although Dartmouth lost, it wasn't a product of the team not playing to its capabilities.
"I think we played well, and it was a product of our home crowd," Cahill said. "We had our B-side, close friends and even people we didn't know came out and cheered us on, and that got us really stoked to play."
He added that he likes the way the Class of 2008 is shaping up.
"The '08s are really spirited and charismatic," Cahill said. "We had a truly exceptional season this year, and looking at the guys next year, I have every confidence that they will exceed everything that we have done this year."
The women's team, known as "Princess Layout," began its season at the Yale Cup, much like the men's side. The Dartmouth team recorded four wins and three losses in the tournament, including two losses to Tufts, one of the best teams in the region. In the tournament, the women's team exhibited great teamwork, and showed that it would be a force to be reckoned with in New England.
Sectionals and regionals were quite an easy affair for Princess Layout. Not only did the women's squad not have trouble getting to sectionals, Dartmouth dropped no more than four points while scoring 13 points in every single game.
At regionals, held in Hanover, Dartmouth's path to victory was not much tougher. As the third seed, Princess Layout made quick work of the University of Maine-Farmington and Boston University in the first two rounds. After upending second-seed Northeastern, the team went on to defeat top-seeded Tufts to avenge the earlier losses.
Captain Nora Johnson '08 was very pleased with her team's play at regionals.
"At regionals, I was so happy with the way we played and all of the games in the tournament ended up relatively easy," Johnson said. "Sectionals were pretty easy so this was the first competitive tournament since the Yale Cup, so we were nervous but we came up so fired up. I knew we could do it when we beat BU, and we just got going from there."
Princess Layout will compete next in the Ultimate Players' Association College Championships in Columbus, Ohio from May 25 to May 27.
