Snow and sleet greeted the Big Green women when they took the field at 10 a.m. on Saturday, and they faced difficult conditions throughout the entire game.
"The weather conditions were possibly the worst that we have ever played in," team president Melanie Pastuck '11 said. "The ball was covered in ice. The field was covered in ice and sleet. It was a pretty brutal game."
The Big Green started strong, scoring the first try of the game to take a 5-0 lead into halftime. The team could not hold the lead, however, and struggled in the second half.
"We didn't have as much possession in the second half," Pastuck said. "I think the snow and the cold really started to affect us. A lot of players were feeling numbness on the field in their lower extremities."
Norwich stormed back with two tries in the second half to take the game.
While Pastuck said the team is disappointed with the loss, she added that players are optimistic about their prospects after holding their own with a national power like Norwich.
Dartmouth came into the game looking to avenge the 56-0 shutout they suffered to Norwich on Sept. 12 last year.
Practicing in harsh conditions may benefit the team when it plays at Nationals next weekend in Buffalo, N.Y. Dartmouth will play Stanford University in the first round of the tournament.
"We think that we have the capability of beating any of the top teams in the country at this point on any given day," Pastuck said. "We're really excited about the potential of our team to perform really well next week at Nationals."
When the men's team began its game against Ohio State on Saturday afternoon, it appeared as if weather would again be working against the Big Green. Dartmouth lost the ball with a fumble on the opening kickoff, and Ohio State then scored after a scrum and a Dartmouth penalty. Ohio State took a 5-0 lead in the first minute of the game.
"I think the first five minutes we weren't really sticking to the game plan," head coach Alexander Magleby said. "We just really needed to play a territory game."
The Big Green quickly found its rhythm, with tries by Tanner Scott '11 and Derek Fish '12, as well as a score by Michael Burbank '13 in his first A-side start for the Big Green. Fish also had two conversions to put the score at 19-5 going into halftime.
Paul Jarvis '12 then scored two tries and Fish tacked on both conversions, concluding the game's scoring.
Magleby said it was important for the team to focus on maintaining good field position and possession because of the poor weather conditions.
"[Tommy Brothers '11] did a great job pinning them down with kicks," he said. "Once we got patient on defense, and we didn't overcommit to a tackle contest, we forced them to make mistakes."
The win came at a good time for the Big Green, as it looks to hit its stride after a tough 27-10 loss to the United States Naval Academy last weekend. Next weekend marks the last Dartmouth home game of the season, with the team entering 7s action the following week.
"For the seniors, it's their last opportunity to do well at home wearing the green jersey, so we're going to work our tails off and get better from where we left off on the game yesterday," Magleby said.
The men's team will look to continue its success against Kutztown University at home next Saturday, while the women's team will head to Buffalo looking to rebound with a win in its first game of Nationals.
