The two scrimmages were the Big Green's first action of this season.
Last season, the Big Green earned only four wins, including one conference victory against Yale University in overtime.
Head coach Andy Towers said there were individuals who played well in the first matchup, but the Big Green was not strong as a team. Players were not completing the fundaments, such as passing and catching.
"In the first game it looked as if we hadn't practiced," Towers said. "But the first and second games were on complete different ends of the spectrum."
Towers said the players seemed more focused and executed better against the Jaspers than they had against the Bearcats.
"This was our first competition against an opponent other than ourselves," co-captain Ari Sussman '10 said. "We just came out flat."
Scores were not kept in either scrimmage because the focus was on improving rather than winning, according to Sussman. If the team continues to improve like it did in the weekend's scrimmages, he added, it will be prepared for the regular-season opener at Colgate University on Feb. 27.
"Colgate is a good team," he said. "But if we continue to get better we will be fine."
The Big Green will get back to the fundamentals in the next two weeks in order to prepare for the Raiders, Towers said. He added that the team understands the basic strategies and sets, but needs to execute.
"Both the players and the staff know we can be a lot more effective," Towers said. "We have the players to compete with the best teams in the country."
Assistant coach Jon Torpey echoed Towers' sentiments, saying the team will continue to fine tune its skills in practice.
"The first scrimmage was a good learning experience," he said. "We have set the bar high for them and they have set the bar high for themselves."
Sussman said that the Big Green was excited for the opportunity to face other teams, because the Ivy League's uniquely late start did not allow teams to begin practice until Feb. 1.
Sussman the leading scorer among those returning also said that Dartmouth's offensive unit will need to work on finding its rhythm, especially during the first games of the season.
He added that the offense has strong individual players but must learn to play as a cohesive unit.
The midfield unit in particular lost a significant number of players to graduation after last season, and according to Torpey, there are several players vying for playing time at midfield.
"The question is what player will step up for us at the midfield position," he said.
Towers said he believes the team is ready and committed to the "blue-collar aspects" of the game, but there is no replacement for the intensity that he thinks the team can produce.
"As long as we do not beat ourselves, we will be a tough team to play," he said.
Co-captain Andrew Gagel '10 said he thinks the team is good shape and will play hard 100 percent of the time.
"Towers and Torpey instilled a hardworking attitude in us," he said.
The Big Green plays its last preseason scrimmage against Providence College at 1 p.m. Saturday in Providence, R. I., before confronting Colgate the next weekend in Hamilton, N.Y.
