Head coach Amy Fowler views the Brown game as vital to Dartmouth's goal of winning the Ivy League and placing high in the regional standings.
"[Brown's players] bring a pretty high-pressure style," she said. "They have some good athletes, and they're competitors. It's an Ivy League matchup it's our second one of this year, and we didn't give Princeton much of a game. We know as a team that in order to be in contention for much of anything, we've got to take care of the other six Ivies we have on our schedule."
Last year, the Big Green defeated Brown 5-4 in overtime.
Dartmouth opened this season with a four-game winning streak, starting with a 2-1 victory over Fairfield University in the opening round of the Dartmouth Classic. Meghan Everett '12 and Maya Herm '13 provided the two Big Green goals, and Meagan Vakiener '12 held the Stags to one goal on five shots.
Two days later, the Big Green clinched the Classic when it defeated Missouri State University, 5-3. Kelly Hood '12 turned in an impressive performance against the Bears, scoring three goals and getting 11 shots on goal, leading Dartmouth to victory.
The Big Green women continued to roll in their next matchup, defeating the Pacific University Tigers 6-1. Four different Dartmouth players had multiple points in the game, including Samantha McPherson '13, who scored three goals, and Virginia Peisch '11, who notched four assists.
Dartmouth scored its most impressive victory of the season on Sept. 12 when it beat Bryant University, 9-2. Spearheaded by Everett's three-goal effort, the Big Green scored seven times in the second half, putting the game far out of reach for the visiting Bulldogs and ensuring its first 4-0 start since the 2000 season.
Dartmouth's 9-1 loss to the undefeated Tigers last Friday was its first setback of the season. The defeat resulted from spectacular play by Princeton and a subpar performance from the Dartmouth side, according to Fowler.
"We really didn't play our best game, and they had a phenomenal game," she said. "We certainly didn't give them the game that I wanted, and I think the kids were disappointed by that. We had some good moments in the game, but they weren't enough to get us on the scoreboard. We had some challenges in the game. When we were in it, it didn't feel like a 9-1 game."
The team is working to forget the loss and move on with the rest of its season.
"Our captains have done a great job of making sure we can put the Princeton game to bed and move on to the next opportunity," Fowler said of co-captains Claire Byrne '11 and Peisch.
Still, she has high expectations for the rest of the season.
"At this point, with how some regional games have gone thus far and with the remaining games on our schedule, we probably have a chance to finish in the top three of our region if we pull some upsets and take care of some other teams I think we are pretty comparable with," she said.
Much of the season will be decided this weekend, and Fowler said she thinks her team is up to the challenge.
"We still have a lot of fight in us, so I hope we can rebound," she said. "I think the kids were ready to play the Sunday or Monday after the Princeton game, so we're ready to play this game."
Dartmouth hosts Brown at noon on Saturday at Chase Field in Hanover.
