After suffering a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to Boston University in overtime last Thursday, the Dartmouth women's soccer team bounced back Sunday in its Ivy League opener against Brown, defeating the Bears 3-1. The win capped off a six-game road trip during which Dartmouth went 3-3.
The Big Green got off to a strong start against the Terriers (5-4-2, 1-0-0 American East), as striker Aly O'Dea '12 received a pass from Myra Sack '10 and fired a shot into the corner of the net to put the Big Green up 1-0 in the 27th minute.
Dartmouth (4-4-0, 1-0-0 Ivy) switched into defensive mode for the rest of the first half, thwarting multiple corner-kick opportunities. Netminder Colleen Hogan '12 also made several crucial saves in goal, including a point-blank shot by a Terriers player who managed to weave past the defense.
Dartmouth was unable to find the net again for the duration of the game.
Terriers junior Shauna Kellener put Boston on the board in the 60th minute with a header that tied the game and sent the teams into overtime.
In the extra period, senior Emily Pallotta sealed the victory for the Terriers, guiding a cross home on a header.
The loss to Boston capped a difficult four-game stretch for Dartmouth, during which the the team faced intense competition from much larger universities. Even though the team went 1-3, the lone win by the Dartmouth women was a triumphant upset over No. 12 West Virginia University.
"We want to play some good teams to prepare as best as possible for the Ivies," head coach Angela Hind said. "It's always a mental challenge."
Beginning Ivy League play against the Bears (2-5-0, 0-1-0 Ivy) on Sunday, Dartmouth tied its season best with three goals scored.
The team had to play from behind, however, after Brown scored a goal in the 22nd minute. It didn't take long for the Big Green to even the score three minutes later, O'Dea, off an assist from Becky Poskin '09, launched the ball into the upper left corner of the net.
"I got an amazing pass," O'Dea said. "It was pretty simple as far as goals go."
At the end of the first half the score was 1-1, but Dartmouth had control of the game, outshooting the Bears 17-3 in the first half and keeping the ball on Brown's side of the field for nearly the entire 45 minutes.
Still, Brown came out energized in the second half, as Hogan had to save a shot within the first minute of the period.
Kelsey Quick '10 put an end to the Brown resurgence with her game-winning goal off the crossbar in the 66th minute.
Peyton Tata '11 scored an insurance goal following an O'Dea pass in the 78th minute only five minutes after she entered the game. Tata beat an offside trap and kicked the ball past the goalie to put the Big Green up 3-1 with only 12 minutes to play.
"The performance against Brown gives us a lot of confidence," Hind said. "We put on a lot of pressure without the ball. When we did have the ball, we were very creative. It was really very much a team effort."
The Big Green's victory over Brown gave the team a boost of confidence, O'Dea said.
"Last year we started the season with a loss against Brown, so it was nice to go in there and prove what we can do," she said.
Confidence will be key for the Big Green as they prepare to face the rest of the Ivy League in the weeks ahead. The team's next test will come in its Ivy home opener against Princeton (2-5-1, 0-1-0 Ivy) this Saturday at 4 p.m. in Hanover. The Big Green lost to the Tigers 1-0 last fall.
"I vividly remember last year [when we played Princeton]," Quick said. "It wasn't one of our best performances ... and we hate Princeton," she joked.
