The Big Green was in control for the entire game, consistently threatening the Big Red goal while shutting down its offense.
With the win, the Big Green improves its overall record to 4-9-2 and 2-3-2 in the Ivy League. Cornell stays in the cellar of the Ivy League with the loss, as the Big Red now stands at 4-11 overall and 0-6 in conference play.
Co-captain Annie Stanley '08 talked about the team's excitement with the win.
"It was so much fun playing out there today," Stanley said. "The whole team wanted to win for the seniors."
Early on, both teams came out strong and there were few chances for either squad to capitalize on. As the first half ticked away, the Big Green started to take control of the game and attack Cornell's defensive line.
It looked as if the Big Green was about to take the lead in the 33rd minute, when Jenny Stone '10 hit a blistering shot off of a Myra Sack '10 corner, only to see it saved by the crossbar.
Peyton Tata '11 had an opportunity soon after in the 35th minute, when Co-captain Monica Martin de Bustamante '08 slid in a pass towards the left side of the box. However, Tata could not get a good angle on the shot and her attempt found the arms of Cornell goalkeeper Jodi Palmer.
At 40:32, Tata found Ali Hubbard '10, who had broken free of the defense. Hubbard struck a looping left-footed shot just inside the right post to score the lone goal in the first half.
In the second half, it was all Dartmouth, as most of the play was on the Cornell side of the field.
Dartmouth got an opportunity to score immediately when Katie Davis '11 had a clear shot right outside of the box, but sent it high.
However, the Big Green doubled its advantage in the 49th minute, when Maggie Goldstein '10 took a free kick from 45 yards out. As she has done so many times this season, Goldstein struck a perfectly placed ball into the top right corner of the goal. Goldstein leads the team with five goals, and all of them have come from long-range.
Dartmouth continued to put pressure on the Cornell defense, attacking relentlessly from all angles. Ten minutes into the second half, Stone played in a threatening cross into the area off of a free kick, but the ball was corralled by the goalkeeper just before any Big Green player could get to the end of it. Co-captain Annie Stanley '08 had a header go just wide off of a corner kick opportunity with just over 20 minutes left, and Tata saw one of her shots deflect off of the crossbar at 87:00.
Fittingly enough, it was Martin de Bustamante who put the Big Red away for good, as the forward slid home a well-timed Sack pass to give the team a 3-0 advantage.
Immediately after the goal the four seniors, Stanley, Martin de Bustamante, Amanda Webb '08, and Carolyn Wendell '08 were substituted out. After the substitution, the Big Red caught Dartmouth off-guard and scored a goal with a Mariye Wick shot to the bottom right corner, but it was too little too late.
Stanley was thrilled to get a victory in her last home game.
"It was awesome to be able to put up three goals in this game, especially since it hasn't been our luck this year," Stanley said.
Offensively, the Big Green dominated by outshooting the Big Red 19-5. The advantage was even more pronounced in the second half, where Dartmouth held a staggering 12-3 advantage in shots. The Big Green also had six corner kick opportunities as opposed to Cornell, which kicked just one.
Webb, who didn't have too much work because of the play of the backline, made two saves in the victory.
Head Coach Angie Hind talked about the impact that the seniors have had on the program.
"They've meant so much, they are talented not just as soccer players, but they're also great people and have brought a lot of spirit to the program," Hind said.
The Big Green will be back on the pitch on Tuesday, November 6, when the team travels to New Britain, Conn., to take on Central Connecticut State in a non-conference game originally scheduled for earlier in the year. The Blue Devils hold a 9-7-1 record, and are coming off of a 4-0 thrashing of Fairleigh Dickinson. The team will then travel to Providence, R.I. to take on Brown to close out the 2007 campaign.
While Dartmouth will not be taking part in postseason play, that does not mean the team won't continue to play hard.
"We want to continue to create chances and possess the ball so that we can finish up the year strong," Hind said.
Elsewhere in the Ancient Eight, the University of Pennsylvania clinched its first league title since 2001 with a 1-0 overtime victory over Princeton.