It was an especially gratifying victory for the team, which has had sub-par results against the Terriers in recent years, captain Julie Wadland '10 said.
"I probably can speak for the whole team when I say it felt really good," Wadland said. "These past three years we haven't even showed up to play against BU, and every time it's been really disappointing."
This year, the Big Green (6-1, 2-0) stayed calm and did not let the Terriers' (5-5, 1-0) intensity affect its play, she added.
"It's always an emotion-filled game, and our biggest job was to stay composed," Wadland said of the team's effort in the first half. "It takes a mentally tough team to be able to do that, and to come out on top was really special."
Like the team's recent win over Yale University, however, it was a tale of two halves.
"We didn't really come out how we normally do," Wadland said. "We were in the game, but we weren't even playing to half our potential."
Still, the Big Green managed to keep up with the Terriers in the first half. In fact, Dartmouth was first to grace the scoreboard when Greta Meyer '11 sank a shot a mere 52 seconds into the game.
It was Meyer's first of five goals on the day to go along with one assist. She also earned her 100th career point, ending the game with 103.
BU proved a resilient foe with Terriers McKinley Curro, Molly Swain and Hannah Frey each notching an early goal to establish a two-point lead over the Big Green within the next three minutes.
Dartmouth cut the deficit to one when Sarah Plumb '12 fed Meyer for her second of the game, but Terrier Danielle Etrasco responded shortly after to maintain the two-goal advantage.
The Big Green stopped BU's momentum, notching a 3-0 run of their own, with two goals by Hilary Smith '12 and one by Erin Massimi '12 to give Dartmouth a 5-4 lead.
The Terriers, however, proceeded to score two consecutive goals to recapture the lead.
Meyer responded to tie the game up at 6-6 before BU's Traci Landy sank her only goal of the game, sending the Terriers into halftime with a one-point lead.
"In the first half, we weren't really following our game plan," Wadland said. "We acknowledged this, [knowing] if we were to play our game, we would win."
Early in the second half, defender Shannie MacKenzie '11 made a move to start the team's roaring momentum by winning a draw, carrying the ball into the offensive end, and dishing it to Meyer, who found the back of the net.
Three minutes later, Dartmouth took an 8-7 lead off a Sarah Parks '12 goal.
Following more back-and-forth, with goals by BU's Curro and Frey and Dartmouth's Meyer, the Big Green finally started to pull away.
Plumb kicked things off when she scooped up a grounder and ripped it into the goal. The Terriers tried to respond, but MacKenzie dashed their hopes with an interception that found its way to Parks, who fired it in for another goal.
Following a BU timeout, Plumb stripped the ball from Terrier Rachel Collins and put it past the keeper for a 12-9 lead with 17:45 left to play.
BU would score once more, before Parks added two more goals in the final minutes of the game, finalizing the score at 15-10.
The win was a team effort, and the offense showed substantial balance, according to Wadland. Eight different players registered points.
Next up for Dartmouth is a trip to face Brown University. The last time the Big Green traveled to Providence, the Bears emerged victorious, 8-5.
"I think our seniors will be looking to avenge our last loss down there," Wadland said. "I think after [the BU] win, everyone is going to be up for this."
Dartmouth will take on Brown in Providence, R.I., this Saturday at 12 p.m.
Heach Coach Amy Patton could not be reached for comment by press time.
