The Dartmouth women's lacrosse team dominated its competition at the Dartmouth Fall Festival on Sunday, defeating the University of New Hampshire and the University of Vermont in four total scrimmage games.
In an unusual format, the Dartmouth Fall Festival put the three teams in a double round robin, in which each school played every opponent twice one 40-minute game and one 25-minute game.
The Big Green defeated Vermont by scores of 13-2 and 9-1. Dartmouth had a tougher time against New Hampshire, but still managed to win both games comfortably, posting scores of 6-2 and 5-1.
"I was very happy with how we did," co-captain Colleen Olsen '10 said. "I was really proud of all the freshmen and sophomores."
All of the Dartmouth team's juniors are away on off-terms this fall.
Erin Massimi '12 led the team in scoring on the day, with seven goals and two assists. Other offensive stars included Sarah Parks '12 with seven goals, Casey Griffin '13 with eight points and Kristen Goldberg '12 with four goals and three assists.
"The attackers really picked it up," Olsen said. "A lot of the goals came out of their hustle."
Despite winning all four games, the Big Green made some sloppy mistakes in the first two matchups.
"After the first two games, I told the team that from a scale of one to 10, they were at a six," head coach Amy Patton said. "I think that may have shocked them a little bit and made them play even better in the next two games."
The Dartmouth seniors did not stand out in the box score, but were valuable to the team in all four games nonetheless. Goalkeepers Julie Wadland '10 and Chelsea Kirk '10 both played very solid games, allowing a combined six goals in 130 minutes of playing time.
Alex Huestis '10 anchored the Big Green defense, which successfully shut down the Wildcats' and Catamounts' strikers.
"[Huestis] had a great day," Patton said. "She had a lot of knockdowns and caused a lot of turnovers on defense."
The key to Dartmouth's successful day was focusing on the small battles, Patton said. By winning draws and getting to ground balls, the Big Green always seemed to be in control of its game.
Olsen displayed her senior leadership through her effort, setting an example for the underclassmen to follow, Patton said.
"[Olsen] was everywhere," Patton said. "It seemed like she was going after every loose ball. Her hustle and her level of hard work make everyone else on the team want to play harder."
Olsen and Wadland were named to the 2009-2010 U.S. Lacrosse Developmental team in August.
Co-captain Eliza Bennett '10, another key member of the team, is currently injured.
The Dartmouth Fall Festival marks the end of the team's fall scrimmage schedule. Over the next three months, the team will hold small-group and individual practices in preparation for the regular season, Patton said, which will start in February 2010.
"This next part of the year will really show what this team is made of," Patton said. "Now is what I call dig-in time.' Each individual player will work on her own or in small groups to refine her game. It may not be as fun as full-team practices, but they will see their biggest growth spurt in this time period."
After a trip to the NCAA finals in 2006, the Big Green has struggled to stay above .500 in the past few years.
"The past three seasons have been pretty rough they were not typical Dartmouth lacrosse seasons," Olsen said. "But our class of seniors this year is committed to get the team back to the level it was at before."
There are high expectations for this year's team as the squad heads into the winter offseason, giving the team renewed hope for a chance at an Ivy League championship, Olsen said.
"There is something really special about this team," she said. "We seem to have the hustle and grit, which may not have been there in past years."
Recent Dartmouth women's lacrosse teams have been filled with talented players, but this year's squad in particular has the dynamic needed to find success, Patton said.
"This year's team has the intangibles, which are very hard to be coached," she said. "The intangibles come from the seniors, and I have been very impressed with this year's senior leadership, both on and off the field."
The Big Green seniors will lead their team to a new challenge when the regular season starts in February with a game against New Hampshire.
