Building off its season-opening win on Saturday, the women's lacrosse team defeated the University of Vermont Wednesday afternoon, 10-6. The win marked head coach Amy Patton's 200th win in her coaching career.
Patton became the 21st head coach in NCAA lacrosse history to reach the 200-win plateau, ranking 14th nationally among active coaches in wins. Patton is fourth among active coaches who have headed Division I programs their entire career.
The Big Green (2-0), which is currently ranked 15th in the nation, used strong individual performances on both offense and defense in the win.
Goalkeeper Kristen Giovanniello '14 made 15 saves in the game, while tri-captain Greta Meyer '11 recorded four goals and one assist. Tri-captain Kat Collins '11 contributed three goals and three draw controls.
"Our transition was really great today," Meyer said. "We were connected from the defense, through to the middle, and into the attack."
Although the Catamounts (0-3) outshot Dartmouth, 29-20, the Big Green managed to overpower UVM with a balanced attack.
The Big Green faced particularly difficult weather conditions, with a game-time temperature of 27 degrees and 20 mile-per-hour winds. With wind chill, the temperature measured six degrees by the end of the game.
The high winds made draws especially important, and UVM controlled the ball, winning 11 draws to Dartmouth's seven.
"I am extremely proud of our team after this win today," Kelly Hopley '11 said. "Playing in the conditions we did, and to win, represents how mentally and physically tough we are as a team."
The Catamounts came out strong, winning the first two draws of the game and scoring two goals within the game's first three minutes. Dartmouth initially lagged in its response, not answering until 24:51 left in the half, when Meyer scored off a pass from Kelsey Johnson '13.
Meyer added her second goal on the next possession, scoring on a free position to tie the game, 2-2. Sarah Parks '12 and Sarah Plumb '12 added two more goals in the half for Dartmouth, countering a goal by UVM freshman Marcie Marino.
Despite its slow offensive start, the Big Green showed new vigor after the break.
Collins won the half's opening draw and took it right to the goal, increasing Dartmouth's lead to 6-4 after just nine seconds. Collins scored again on the next possession off a feed by Meyer.
Plumb capitalized on Dartmouth's momentum, scoring to give the Big Green an 8-4 lead off a pass by Parks.
"Our attack had a lot of composure with the ball today," Hope McIntyre '11 said. "We were patient and controlled the ball when we needed to this turned into some really beautiful goals."
The Big Green also performed well defensively in the second half, with Giovanniello saving the Catamounts' first two shots. Despite a free-position goal by UVM junior Adison Rounds, the rookie goalie stood strong to make her second pair of consecutive saves later in the half.
Giovanniello also made two exceptional saves on UVM breakaways throughout the second half, both shot from point-blank range.
Collins and Meyer added two more Dartmouth goals, while UVM sophomore Emma Kelly converted once more to conclude the game's scoring.
Now with two wins, Dartmouth is optimistic about its chances early in the season. The team hopes to win the NCAA tournament and finish the season undefeated in Ivy League play, Hopley said.
She added that this season's team is the most talented she has played for at Dartmouth.
"Our team is going to take the lacrosse world by storm," Hopley said. "We really have something to prove and every one of us is ready for that to happen."
Meyer said the team is already playing cohesively early in the season.
"When we are all on the same page, we are unstoppable," she said.
The Big Green will begin its League schedule at Yale University on March 5 at 1 p.m.
