Co-captain Kat Collins '11 said the extreme weather worked to Dartmouth's advantage.
"They're used to playing inside, and they had to play in Hanover, where it snows in April," she said. "We're used to it we can play in anything."
The two sides were evenly matched for much of the game, demonstrated by back-and-forth scoring and similar statistics. While the Orange (3-6, 1-0 Big East) had a 26-21 shot advantage, ground balls (20-19 in favor of Dartmouth) and draw controls (10-9 in favor of Syracuse) were nearly the same. It was not until the latter part of the second half that Dartmouth's high-energy, balanced offense and talented defense began to take the upper hand.
One of the main discrepancies between the two teams was the goalies' performances. Dartmouth's Kristen Giovanniello '14 played a large role in the Big Green's success, saving 10 goals. Her Orange counterpart, senior Liz Hogan, had only six saves, allowing each of Dartmouth's four free positions to get the best of her.
The match started with an equal exchange of goals. Junior Catherine Rodriguez scored twice, but neither goal went unanswered, as Liz Calby '14 made an impeccable behind-the-cage assist to Sarah Plumb '12. Following the momentum, Collins set up Sarah Parks '12 for the team's second goal.
Courtney Bennett '13 broke the 2-2 stalemate to give Dartmouth a one-goal advantage off of a free-position score just several minutes later.
The Big Green's lead didn't do much to subdue the Orange. Syracuse fought back even harder, putting away three consecutive goals from Alyssa Murray, Michelle Tumolo and Lindsey Connell.
Collins said the team had trouble re-focusing its offense at the end of the first half.
"We had a few turnovers and people started getting hesitant and unsure," she said. "We entered a lull, and that's when Syracuse took the lead."
The defense was able to prevent Syracuse from furthering the lead, however, which was crucial for the Big Green's second-half comeback.
Despite the goal-deficit, the team's halftime goals were still largely undefined after leaving the locker room, Collins said.
"We just told ourselves to snap out of it and get our confidence back," she said.
The Big Green came out strong, as Kirsten Goldberg '12 immediately scored both of the necessary goals to tie up the game. The first went unassisted, and the next came after she caused a turnover in the defensive half and received an assist from Abigail Holden '11.
Syracuse's Sarah Holden scored one more goal for her team off a free position before the Big Green found its groove and silenced the opposition with five unanswered goals from four different players.
Plumb assisted Greta Meyer '11 for the tying goal before scoring two free position goals herself. In between Plumb's scores, Collins chipped in a free position of her own. With 8:29 left, Plumb added another assist to the books when she connected with Goldberg, who finished the goal and set the lead at 10-6.
The Big Green defense was able to stifle the Orange for the remainder of the game, keeping the ball in Syracuse's territory. The Orange's Murray managed to find the back of the net at 1:31, but Collins won the subsequent draw control, allowing Dartmouth to maintain possession for the rest of the game.
While members of the team said they were pleased with the win, there are some aspects of their play against Syracuse such as a large number of turnovers that the Big Green will seek to improve upon in the future.
"We had a lot of unforced turnovers that really started to kill us, and that's all about lack of focus and confidence," she said.
Despite these issues, Collins said the team is confident and will now begin its preparation for its upcoming game against Cornell University.
"We have a winning streak going on now and consecutive Ivy games coming up," she said. "It's an exciting part of the season."
Dartmouth takes on the Big Red at home this Saturday at noon.
