"We've worked really hard throughout preseason and its really encouraging to start off the season this way," head coach Amy Fowler said.
Despite a scoreless first 20 minutes of the game, Dartmouth eventually got its offense going with back-to-back goals from Kelly McHenry '11 and Maya Herm '13. The Bulldogs quickly answered back, but were only able to bring the score to 2-1 before going into halftime.
The second half proved to be a show of the Big Green's offensive dominance, as it outscored its opponent 6-1. Lisa Masini '13 and Meghan Everett '12 both notched goals within minutes of each other to kick off the half. Everett would score two more times before the contest was over. Other points came from team captains Claire Byrne '11 and Virginia Peisch '11, as well as a second score for McHenry.
"It is important for us to remember that it was only 2-1 at the half," Peisch said. "They did a good job of gaining confidence at the end of the first half and managed to break down our game a bit. We learned how important it was for us to regain composure and get back to playing our game."
Dartmouth's success this season began at home with the Big Green Classic. The team opened up with a narrow 2-1 win against Fairfield University. Everett, assisted by Byrne, scored six minutes into the game, but the Stags (4-3) were able to tie it up before the period was over. The game remained tied until Herm, helped out by Masini, was able to score the go-ahead point, with only minutes left on the clock.
Dartmouth next took on Missouri State University and secured its place as tournament champions with an exciting 5-3 victory. The Big Green was slow from the start in the first half, however, allowing two straight goals from the Bears (2-3). Kelly Hood '12, assisted by Herm and Peisch, was able to put up Dartmouth's first point, but MSU was quick to reply, scoring off of a penalty corner right before halftime.
In the second half, the Big Green's offense stepped up, with the Dartmouth team outshooting the Bears 26-0 and putting four of those in the back of the net. Everett kicked off Dartmouth's run with a score, followed shortly by a penalty corner that led to Hood's second goal of the contest. McHenry notched the go ahead point off of a corner, with the help of Masini, and then two minutes later, Hood completed her hat trick on another corner, set up by McHenry and Peisch.
"During those games, we realized that we were going to be able to create a lot of scoring opportunities, however, we didn't finish as many of those as we had hoped," Fowler said. "We were able to take a lot away from that. We learned that we were able to overcome a close game, where the other team is in it until the end. I think it was good for the seven freshman and for some of the younger players to understand how to overcome adversity."
The Big Green win streak continued with a 6-1 victory over Pacific University. This game was another show of Dartmouth's offensive abilities. Both McPherson and Hood had multiple point games, scoring three and two times respectively. Liz Blanken '13 added the sixth goal, while Peisch extended her Dartmouth career assists record by four during the game against the Tigers (0-7).
In Dartmouth's first four contests, it has dominated its opponents in shots on net and in corners. According to Fowler, the team has been on the other side of this situation and knows the type of pressure that a powerful offense can put on a defense.
"We've learned in the past that being pummeled by shots creates a real high pressure situation," she said. "This year, we are using what has been done to us in the past and we are getting lots of opportunities, keeping up the pressure and hoping that the goals will fall. Scoring more than the other team' is our motto now."
The Big Green will pick up their sticks for the first time in conference play this season on Friday the Sept. 17 against Princeton University in Princeton, NJ.
"We want to continue to do the same things that we have been able to do the last few games," Fowler said. "We want to continue to put ourselves in the position to finish inside our own attacking circle. I know that we may not get a lot of those opportunities against a top five team like Princeton, but we will get some and we need to be ready for that."
