The Big Green (3-4, 1-1 Ivy) snapped its three-game losing streak against a Cornell team (7-2, 1-1 Ivy) that reached the NCAA Championship last year.
"It was a scrappy game, and we came out more intense," co-captain Towny Swiggett '10 said.
Cornell got on the board first with approximately 10 minutes left in the second quarter, but co-captain Ari Sussman '10 answered a minute later for the Big Green with two goals of his own. Chris Costabile '13 would then add another with under two minutes left in the half, giving Dartmouth a 3-1 halftime lead.
After Cornell tied the game at 4-4 midway through the third quarter, Dartmouth went on a three-goal run to push the score to 7-4. The run included Sussman adding his third goal of the game, Joshua Etzion '11 adding his second and Rhett Miller '11 getting his first.
Sussman added his fourth goal with less than two minutes left in the game, pushing the score to 8-4 and sealing the game for Dartmouth.
Assistant coach Jon Torpey said that faceoffs and improved clearing were the keys to the game both of which Dartmouth had struggled with in previous games and had worked on in practice this past week.
"We came out wanting it more," he said. "Cornell has traditionally been known as the blue-collar team in the Ivy League, and we are hoping to take that name."
Torpey also praised the play of Campbell, saying it is probably one of the best performances of a goalie in Dartmouth history. In fact, Campbell is the first goalie to have more than twenty saves since All-American Andrew Goldstein '05.
Head coach Andy Towers agreed, adding that both the Big Green defense and Sussman also posted strong performances.
"To have four unassisted goals against their number one defender shows how good you really are," Towers said. "What is even better is that he is a team-first guy all the way."
Towers, who has preached intensity from the first day of Fall training, believed Dartmouth was the aggressor in the game.
"To have these guys come and out and play the way they did for 60 minutes today was great," Towers said.
Coming off three disappointing losses, the win is a big change of pace for the Big Green, according to co-captain Andy Gagel '10.
"It was an incredible win against an incredible team," Gagel said.
Dartmouth will now try to take that momentum into its game week against Yale University (5-2, 1-2 Ivy).
"We do not want to get too high on ourselves," Towers said. "We can beat anyone and lose to anyone."
Towers said he has now seen the team's response to a bad loss the Big Green gave up a late six-goal lead in a loss to Harvard University last week and he anticipates a good reaction from this win.
Swiggett added that the win over the Big Red changes the entire season and positions Dartmouth well in the Ivy League.
The Big Green will take on Yale this Saturday in Hanover on Scully-Fahey Field at 1 p.m.
