Recovering from a tough loss in overtime to the No. 3 University of Pennsylvania last Saturday, No. 14 Dartmouth (7-4, 4-1 Ivy) knew it had to pull things together for a busy week, which also includes this Saturday's game against Princeton, head coach Amy Patton said.
"I think we, right now, are looking at these last six games as if it's a whole new season for us," she said. "It's a third of a season, which is crazy since most teams are almost done with their season, but we came into this game saying, 'Hey, we're 0-0, and we've got six games, and we have got to look at it one game at a time.'"
Wednesday's win was never in any serious jeopardy, as the Big Green took the Crimson out of contention early to lead at halftime, 6-1. After the intermission, the Dartmouth women picked up from where they had left off in the first half, scoring three straight goals in the first eight minutes of the second period. Despite a late surge by Harvard, which claimed the last three goals of the game, Dartmouth held its composure and drifted to a win.
"I was very confident, although more confident in ourselves rather than thinking about Harvard, because we were playing well and know that when we take the field, we are going to do our best," defender Colleen Olsen '10 said.
Dartmouth capitalized on its possessions in both periods, with a total of 10 caused turnovers and 23 ground balls, resulting in 25 shots on goal.
Although it took Dartmouth almost six minutes to get on the scoreboard, midfielder Greta Meyer '11 finally scored the game's first goal off of a free position shot at 24:29.
Harvard erased the lead just one minute later, but it was smooth sailing for the Big Green after that, as co-captain and attacker Katherine Chiusano '09 struck gold with an unassisted shot. Her goal was immediately followed by a tally by rookie Sarah Plumb '12 tally, as well as two goals from top scorer Kat Collins '11. Harvard was bombarded with 13 shots in the first half alone.
Co-captain and goalie Julie Wadland '10 and the Big Green defense took care of the Harvard offensive unit, allowing only five shots in the first half from the Crimson, three of which were saved by Wadland.
Wadland's performance was reflective of her recent award as Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week. After keeping Dartmouth in the game against Penn with 12 saves, she was named as one of the nation's 23 Tewaaraton Award nominees on Thursday, distinguishing her as one of the top collegiate lacrosse players in the country.
The second half opened to find midfielder Eliza Bennett '10 rattle in Dartmouth's seventh goal only 50 seconds into the period. Meyer followed with another free-position shot for a goal, then Bennett promptly delivered her second goal of the game at 22:05.
With the Big Green leading 9-2, Harvard got one back with 20 minutes left on the clock, only to be met with more Dartmouth attacks, as midfielder Abigail Holden '11 netted her first shot of the game, followed by a goal by Collins, who completed her hat trick with an unassisted score at 16:15. The game was Collins' eighth with three or more goals, and she still leads the team in goals, with 31 this season.
With 13 minutes left to play, Harvard again snuck in a goal. Chiusano quickly responded with a score, and Olsen added another at 12:01, her first of the season.
Olsen, who has led Dartmouth on defense this season, contributed all over the field, causing two turnovers. Her goal gave Dartmouth its biggest lead of the game, 13-3, and was the last scored by the Big Green.
Harvard finished the game on the offensive, netting three goals, two of which were scored during the three-minute penalty of Alex Huestis '10.
The game allowed all healthy players some time on the field, which Patton said was great for gaining experience.
Despite the win, Patton said she believes her team did not play to its true potential against Harvard, a team the Big Green has now defeated 13 consecutive times since 1997.
"It really wasn't about Harvard today, it was about us coming out and playing good Dartmouth lacrosse. And honestly, we didn't do that, in my mind," she said. "I thought we were really sloppy, and I think we can play well above, a notch above, what we did today."
Plowing through its busy schedule, Dartmouth will take on Princeton this Saturday, in a pivotal game with the Ivy League title on the line. Dartmouth has a chance to gain a share of the crown if still-undefeated Penn loses one of its two remaining Ivy Leage games against, and if Dartmouth beats both Princeton and Columbia in its final two Ivy contests of the year.
For now, Dartmouth intends to follow its maxim, and take things one game at a time, defender Shannie MacKenzie '11 said.
"I think we just need to have higher expectations of ourselves, and we need to play to win," she said. "We know what our level is, and we can't let the other team dictate how we play."
Dartmouth's game against Princeton is scheduled to start at 1 p.m. Saturday at Scully-Fahey Field.
