The Big Green (1-2-1, 0-0 Ivy) hosted Northeastern University (4-2), Brown University (2-2, 0-0 Ivy) and Colgate University (1-6) in the tournament which took place on Friday, Sept. 3 and Sunday, Sept. 5 in Hanover.
After falling to Colgate 1-0 in its opening game of the tournament, Dartmouth bounced back with its win over the Huskies.
Northeastern outshot Dartmouth, 12-11, but the Big Green beat the Huskies in shots on goal by a margin of 4-2.
Tata led the team with three shots, while Hamlin and Marina Moschitto '14 trailed her with two shots each. Northeastern sophomore forward Greta Samuelsdottir, from Iceland, topped the entire field with four shots.
"They had a lot of good opportunities, but so did we," Tata said. "We had to hold on to make sure they didn't score. It's easier when you score closer to the end of the game, that way you only need to hold them off for a short period of time."
Dartmouth goalie Colleen Hogan '12 recorded a shutout with the help of Aurelia Solomon '13, who was named the tournament's defensive MVP.Solomon, Tata and Moschitto earned spots on the All-Tournament team.
Dartmouth's game against Colgate was its first game of the season, while the Raiders had already played, and lost, three games.
Unassisted, Colgate sophomore Alyssa Manoogian notched her first goal of the season with less than two minutes remaining in the first period off a counterattack.
Despite outshooting the Raiders, 10-7, with seven of its shots posted in the second half, the Big Green failed to score an equalizer.
Tata said Dartmouth has transitioned from the 4-3-3 formation it used last year to a new 4-4-2 system.
"We had to adjust to the extra defensive player and the lack of the extra offensive player," Tata said. "We were working out all of the kinks. Colgate got one lucky shot, if we played them again tomorrow, I think it would be a different outcome."
The team's eight members of the Class of 2014 debuted for the Big Green at the tournament.
"It was our first time playing together as a team," Tata said. "It was nerve-wracking with so many new players."
On Friday the team travelled to California to face the 17th ranked University of San Diego. The Big Green squad tied the Toreros (5-2-1) 1-1 in a game that went to double overtime. Kim Rose '13 headed in Dartmouth's only goal off of a corner kick at 65:13 for a 1-0 lead, before San Diego tied the score later in the half.
Spending Sunday in Malibu, Calif., the Big Green fought back from an initial 1-0 deficit to Pepperdine University to tie the match at 1-1. The Waves (4-2-1) then stole the win, however, winning 2-1 off of a 63rd-minute penalty kick.
"Our first game [against San Diego] was the best I've ever seen our team play," co-captain Katie Davis '11 said. "It was hard to match that energy in the second game."
The team looks very different from last year's squad, as six players including midfielders Myra Sack '10, Ali Hubbard '10 and Kelsey Quick '10 graduated last year.
All three seniors earned first-team All-Ivy honors in 2009, while Sack also received NSCAA All-Mid Atlantic and All-New England accolades.
"The ['10s] last year were awesome great people and great players," Tata said. "One thing that every new class brings is a no fear factor, because you don't have anything to lose if you are a freshman. They come in and bring something different to the team. Our gain almost equals or outweighs [the loss of the '10s]."
The Big Green squad finished in third place in the Ivy League last season after posting a 4-3 record against the Ancient Eight. The team hopes to climb to the top this year.
"We want to win and come in first," Tata said. "We definitely have the players and talent to win. We need to make the mental decision that we are going to win and not have any regrets after we step off the field."
The Dartmouth women are back in action next weekend, tearing up the pitch against Quinnipiac University at 2 p.m. on Friday in Hamden, Conn., before travelling to Pennsylvania State University for a 4 p.m. game on Sunday in State College, Penn.
Dartmouth will kick off the season's Ivy competition at home in a few weeks when the team faces Brown at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 26.
"We were able to watch Brown play in the [Dartmouth Nike Tournament]," Davis said. "They have some good players, but I am really confident that our team will be 100 percent and will be able to take it to them."
