Three quick goals at the end of the first half gave Dartmouth (1-0, 0-0 Ivy) a 9-8 lead over Vermont (1-1, 0-0 America East) at halftime. The momentum carried over after the break, with the Big Green potting the first four goals of the second half.
Co-captain Katherine Chiusano '09 led the Big Green in points, netting three goals and three assists.
Sarah Plumb '12 scored four goals in her first collegiate game, while Kirsten Goldberg '12 also stepped up with three goals and two assists on the day.
Although Vermont started the scoring only 43 seconds into the game, the Big Green then took an early lead with two rapid-fire goals.
A pass from Kat Collins '11 to Chiusano put Dartmouth on the scoreboard at 3:52, and the goal was quickly followed by another after a pass from Goldberg to Plumb at 4:24.
Chiusano said that, although the Big Green did not have momentum in the beginning, the team can learn from this game.
"We had a bit of a slow start in the first half, but we came at them hard and dominated the second half," she said.
Colleen Olsen '10 and Greta Meyer '11 helped out on the defensive end, with Olsen snagging three groundballs, and Meyer causing two turnovers.
Chiusano said that defense is one area where the Big Green can work on improving their game.
"We can strengthen the defense a bit since we struggled in the first half," she said. "Experience will help us."
Most of the game's first half was characterized by back-and-forth scoring charges, with the teams trading off a few goals at a time. Dartmouth's offense broke this pattern with a surge of momentum, pulling away late in the game with seven-consecutive goals near the break.
The Catamounts went more than 15 minutes without scoring a goal.
Collins started the streak for the Big Green, netting a goal on a pass from Chiusano at 27:30. Meyer and Chiusano then rounded off the half with two timely goals at 29:51 and 29:57.
With the opening of the second half, Dartmouth's rookies took control with the next four goals of the game.
Chiusano found Plumb at 31:14 to begin the surge, while Goldberg scored next off a pass from Sarah Parks '12 at 32:43.
Plumb struck again less than two minutes later, potting her third goal of the game, unassisted, at 34:41, and Hilary Smith '12 capped the freshmen scoring frenzy a few minutes later at 41:15, making the score 13-8.
UVM's Samantha Stern brought the Catamounts closer with a goal at 41:59, but Plumb answered with an unassisted tally at 42:07.
Stern scored again at 44:08, bringing the total to 14-10. From this point until the end of the game, the Big Green's solid defense held UVM scoreless for over 16 minutes.
Meyer and Eliza Bennett '10 finalized the victory with free position goals at the end of the game, resulting in a 16-10 final score.
The Catamounts' offense was led by upperclassmen midfielders Kristen Millar and Sara Buxton, who each tallied three goals and two assists.
While UVM's freshman goalie Olivia Hatfield played a strong game in net with 11 saves, her efforts were not enough to withstand the Big Green's offense, and co-captain Julie Wadland '10 earned the win in goal with four stops.
Chiusano said that the team will face strong competition all season long.
"Our entire schedule is pretty tough this year," she said. "There's lots of good competition. We're going to take every game like it's a championship, because every game could go either way."
"We seem young, but we have a fair amount of experience," she said. "We're coming to each game mentally prepared. We're looking forward to the next game and feeling good about ourselves."
The Big Green will face the No. 14 University of New Hampshire at Scully-Fahey field at noon on Saturday for the team's home opener.
