"I honestly think everyone walked out on that field yesterday and decided that they were going to do anything possible to try to win that game," co-captain Kristen Barry '08 said. "A lot of the younger kids made mental decisions that they were not going to hold anything back."
As the tied halftime score and the one-goal final margin suggests, the contest was a back-and-forth game that featured numerous momentum swings.
Dartmouth (7-6, 3-4 Ivy) dominated the start of both halves, beginning the first with a run of five unanswered goals and commanding the first portion of the second with six goals to Princeton's two. The Tigers (10-2, 4-2 Ivy) fought back, however, and managed to tie the score at 7-7 by halftime, but fell short by one goal in the second half.
The Tigers were undefeated this season until a loss to No. 7 Penn (12-1, 7-0 Ivy) broke Princeton's 10-game winning streak last Wednesday. Princeton has been in the top 10 of national rankings all season, while Dartmouth has not been ranked since late March.
The win moves Dartmouth into the fifth spot in the Ivy league, above Harvard (8-6, 2-4 Ivy) Brown (5-8, 2-4 Ivy) and Columbia (3-10, 0-7 Ivy). Princeton remains second in the Ivy standings.
Coming out of the first half tied at 7-7, Dartmouth started the second period strong, steadily tallying six goals in the first 24 minutes of play and lifting its advantage to 13-9.
At the end of the second, however, Princeton put in three unanswered goals in a span of two minutes, challenging the Big Green's lead and bringing the game within one.
With just over a minute left in play, Princeton's Ashley Amo put in a fourth goal. Her stick was ruled illegal after the play, however, and the goal was disallowed, preventing a possible overtime and giving Dartmouth the victory.
"We've had a pretty rough season with injuries and a small team, and it really felt kind of like our Ivy Championship game considering the season we've had," Barry said.
In the first half, the Big Green racked up a 5-0 advantage in the opening 15 minutes of the game. The Tigers, however, rallied in the last eight minutes of the half, scoring seven goals to Dartmouth's two. Kat Collins '11 led the Big Green with two assists and five goals, which comprised of two free-position shots and three unassisted tallies. Barry followed with two goals and an assist, and Eliza Bennett '10 and Cate Goytisolo '10 each earned two goals. Greta Meyer '11 had a goal and an assist as well as five ground balls and five draw controls, and Kate Labrum '08 put up a point with a free position shot.
Princeton outshot Dartmouth 30-19, but goaltender Julie Wadland '10 stopped the threat with 11 saves.
"Julie Wadland played amazing in goal," Barry said.
Since 1993, the Big Green and the Tigers have played twenty games against each other. Dartmouth's victory evens the series, putting both Dartmouth and Princeton at 10 wins each.
The stretch run for the Big Green will not be easy, with several contests against ranked opponents looming on the schedule, including games against No. 9 Boston University, No. 19 Stanford and No. 10 Duke.
"The last three games are all top twenty teams, the best teams in the country, and every game is going to be tough," Barry said. "We prepare for every game differently, but we're going to go into it with the same drive and hustle."
Dartmouth will end its season with three non-conference home games. The Big Green will host Boston University on Wednesday.
