Despite an early lead off of a goal from Virginia Peisch '11, the Big Green (8-5, 2-2 Ivy) fell behind before the half was over and went on to see Yale (7-6, 3-1 Ivy) score two more to seal the game.
Co-captain Claire Byrne '11 said that the Big Green did not get off to the fast start that they usually try for in games.
"We did not have an explosive first half," she said. "We try to establish a tempo but we didn't come out firing."
After the first half, Yale led in shots by a tally of seven to two and in penalty corners four to one.
Head Coach Amy Fowler said that while she thought the start was a good one, she would have liked to see her team play a little tougher.
"It was a physical game where Yale was able to capitalize and we were not," she said.
The game became especially physical after Dartmouth's leading scorer Kelly Hood '12 was struck in the face by a ball. Hood left the game to receive medical attention and players from the Big Green exchanged heated words with the Yale players. Dartmouth was ultimately penalized for the exchange.
Although Dartmouth was given two five-minute penalties during the game, Yale did not score on either advantage.
Yale senior goalie Katie Bolling made up for the lack of offensive power by stalling nearly all of the Big Green's attempts on goal. Bolling had four saves in the game, while Dartmouth goalie Meagan Vakiener '12 had two.
Fowler said the Big Green put on a much better performance in the second half, even though they gave up two goals in the half.
"The second half was great," she said. "I could not be more proud of the way we played [after the injury to Hood]."
Byrne echoed Fowler's sentiments about the team's strength in the second half.
"It was disappointing that we did not finish our shots," she said. "But we turned the game around in the second half."
The turnaround reflected themes that the team has tried to establish this season, according to Byrne.
"We like to keep up our overall resiliency," she said. "We are about turning our play around and not giving up, which we didn't do today."
The Big Green will try to turn things around when they travel to Columbia University to face the Lions next weekend.
Fowler said that while there is "new blood" in the Columbia program and that they have been playing well, Dartmouth has the advantage.
"If we play our game, we should be able to win," she said.
Byrne added that, despite their strength as a team, the Big Green will treat Columbia like any other opponent and will prepare accordingly this week.
"We will focus on individual defensive skills and our communication," she said. "We do not have to change a lot of things."
Byrne said she believes consistent play will be a key to success for the team in future games.
The Big Green will take on Columbia in New York City on Oct. 24 at 1:00 p.m.
