The women's soccer team fell at the hands of Harvard on Saturday, losing 2-1 in Cambridge, Mass.
Harvard (8-6-1, 5-1 Ivy) scored the game-winning goal, which broke a 1-1 tie, with less than four minutes to play.
The opening minutes of the game were controlled by Dartmouth (8-7, 3-3 Ivy), with multiple players getting shooting opportunities.
Aly O'Dea '12 scored an early goal in the seventh minute to put Dartmouth up 1-0. Ally Dutton '12, registered the assist as she crossed the ball to a sprinting O'Dea, who used her head to get it past Harvard goalkeeper Lauren Mann.
Despite the setback, the Crimson put together a rally of its own shortly after, registering three corner kicks in the span of only a few minutes. The first two were defended well by the Big Green's back line, and goalie Colleen Hogan '12 managed to clear both kicks.
The third, however, resulted in a Harvard goal, tying the game at one apiece. The goal came from Crimson junior Katherine Sheeleigh, who received a well-placed kick from sophomore Melanie Baskind and punched it into the net from point-blank range.
Dartmouth and Harvard continued to duel for the rest of the half, with both teams creating good scoring chances.
The best opportunity for the Big Green came in the 28th minute, when Becky Poskin '09 had a shot saved by Mann and just missed to the left with her rebound attempt.
Dartmouth outshot the Crimson 6-3 in the first half, though Harvard tallied six corner kicks.
"In the first half, we were under a lot of pressure because of the wind," Dartmouth head coach Angie Hind said. "In the second half, we had the ball and the momentum, but we had to capitalize and we just weren't able to do that."
The two teams battled winds gusting to over 30 miles per hour for much of the contest.
The Big Green came out strong at the start of the second half, putting a great deal of pressure on the Crimson's defenses.
Dartmouth, however, was set back by a tough break in the 49th minute, when O'Dea fired a shot that bounced off the top of the cross bar.
Dutton had another chance for the Big Green, but her header off of Melisa Krnjaic '11's corner kick went just wide. Ali Hubbard '10 put a shot on goal shortly after, but Mann was again able to make the stop.
"In the second half, when we had the wind with us, we were on their side of the field the majority of the time," O'Dea said. "We had so many close opportunities, but we were really unlucky."
The Crimson put little pressure on the Big Green until the 61st minute, when Hogan saved an attempt by Baskind.
Dartmouth continued to control the game, however, and soon countered with a corner kick, but a header by Hubbard failed to make it past Mann in goal. In the 80th minute, Poskin streaked past Crimson's defenses, but her shot deflected off of the post.
The backbreaker for the Big Green came in the 87th minute, when Sheeleigh scored her second goal of the game to put Harvard up 2-1 with less than four minutes remaining. Junior Kerry Kartsonis notched the assist.
"We worked so hard for the whole game," O'Dea said. "It's devastating when all your hard work goes to waste and one mistake results in a huge loss."
The team had a few chances to even the score, but its efforts proved futile. Kelsey Quick '10 had the best opportunity for the Big Green, but her shot was blocked before it could find the back of the net.
The score remained at 2-1 until the final whistle blew.
Going into the game, both Dartmouth and Harvard had a shot at the Ivy League championship, but the Big Green's loss removes the team from contention and ensures that Harvard will at least share the title. The Crimson will also receive a guaranteed berth in the NCAA tournament, which will be held in mid-November.
Although the team will not claim the Ivy League title, Dartmouth hopes to finish its season on a high note, O'Dea said.
"We want to finish as high as we can in the Ivies," she said. "There's definitely still motivation."
The Big Green faces off against the Bryant Bulldogs (4-12-1, 2-6-1 Northeast-10) in Smithfield, R.I., on Tuesday at 3 p.m.
