"I'm very happy that the team was able to hang on to our 1-0 lead and to also secure the shutout," Head Coach Amy Fowler said. "We did a great job defensively and held them scoreless in the second half when they put the most pressure on us."
The Big Green (5-9) started the game with the same aggressiveness it had shown in its recent 3-2 stretch.
Dartmouth dominated first half action, earning three penalty corners in the first nine minutes of the game to set the tone. However, the Big Green fell short all three times and could not capitalize on those early opportunities.
UMass did not get its first chance to score until 15 minutes into the game. Freshman midfielder Makaela Potts stole a pass deep in Dartmouth territory but ended up firing it wide of the net. Then, with 12:30 left in the half, the Minutewomen had another great chance when sophomore forward Christine Rogers redirected a long pass at the net, but goalkeeper Ashley Heist '08 was able to make the save, one of her seven on the day.
Dartmouth's resilient play finally paid off with 2:43 left in the half. Lizzie Bildner '08 received a pass from Leigh Rorick '10 and fired a backhanded shot from 15 yards out past UMass senior goaltender Becky Letourneau to give the Big Green a pivotal 1-0 advantage going into the half. It was the first goal allowed by UMass since Oct. 12 at Temple, a span of almost four games, and the first allowed at home in a month.
For the Big Green, the goal ended up making the difference in the game.
Bildner was pleased with how the team played as a whole.
"I think the key to our success today was that we just kept up the aggressive level of play throughout the entire game," Bildner said. "We also worked as a team and kept our game very simple."
In the second half, the Minutewomen's offense came alive at last and shifted the momentum on the Big Green. Yet even though UMass controlled most of the play, the Big Green defense was up to the challenge. UMass had a 6-1 shot advantage in the second half and had numerous chances inside the circle, but the Big Green stood strong and didn't relent. With 3:10 remaining in the game, the Big Green caught a huge break. Junior midfielder Erin Parker was open in the center of the circle and got off a shot that was just barely deflected by Heist off of the post to preserve the shutout -- Heist's first of her Dartmouth career. The Minutewomen just couldn't find a way to get past Heist despite out shooting the Big Green 11-8 overall.
"Defensively, the team played tough in the second half, surviving the flurry of shots and UMass's high pressure," Coach Fowler said. "UMass is a very good team and is currently ranked number one in the Atlantic-10 Conference."
This weekend, the Big Green will continue to play on the road. The team will travel to Harvard for a noon face-off on Saturday and Holy Cross on Sunday for a 2 p.m. start time.
"We must carry the positives from tonight's upset into this coming weekend: back to back regional games, with one being an important conference opponent," Fowler said. "The team knows we're playing for our pride in these last few games, and I trust they'll make the most of the remaining opportunities to battle together."
