First-year head coach Theresa Wagner has brought a "winning mentality" to the Big Green, co-captain Kim Rose '13 said.
"Having Theresa as a coach has been such a positive influence on our team," Rose said. "Her coaching style is definitely different than what we were used to, but it didn't take us very long to adapt. Her style suits us as individual players and as a team."
At Boston College last Wednesday, the Eagles (6-0-2) came up with two goals in the second half to defeat the Big Green, 2-0.
Dartmouth (2-5-0) struggled to generate a consistent offensive attack, as Aurelia Solomon '13 and Aly O'Dea '12 recorded the Big Green's only two shots of the game. Chrissy Lozier '13 came close to scoring late in the first half, but Boston College goalkeeper Jillian Mastroianni came out of the net to stop Lozier's attempt.
Dartmouth starting goalie Tatiana Saunders '15 made a career-high six saves, before goalie Colleen Hogan '12 entered the game in the 76th minute for her first appearance of the season. The Big Green held the Eagles scoreless in the first half, but Boston College scored twice in 20 minutes after the break, putting the game out of reach.
"[Boston College] was in the final four [of its bracket] last year," Rose said. "We had a great first half and held them scoreless at halftime. We battled hard and defended well against some of the best strikers in the country."
Rose said the match prepared Dartmouth well for its upcoming League season.
"Our second half was a little disappointing, but it was still a feat to hold them to only two goals," she said. "Although we would have liked a better second half, again we knew the experience we were gaining."
Dartmouth returned home over the weekend, playing Maine (3-3-1) in Hanover. The Big Green defeated the Black Bears, 1-0, marking its second consecutive win at Burnham Field.
The Big Green got on the board early, scoring in the 34th minute of the game. Kelly Brait '14 placed a corner kick in the Maine box, where Ally Dutton '12 swiftly passed the ball to Marina Moschitto '14. Moschitto then shot past Maine junior goalie Meagan Price-Leibenzeder.
"Coming back home and being able to secure a win against Maine was great for team morale," Rose said. "We are now 2-0 on Burnham and it's definitely an achievable goal for us to stay undefeated on our home field. It was great to pick up another win as we start to head into the Ivies."
Playing at Colgate (5-4-0) on Tuesday, Dartmouth found itself in another tight contest. After entering the second half in a scoreless tie, Dartmouth scored first with a goal by Tasha Wilkins '15, who was assisted by O'Dea.
Colgate junior Alyssa Manoogian scored, tying the game in the 68th minute.
Neither team broke through again until the 109th minute, when senior Maddie Malone scored for Colgate, giving the Raiders a 2-1 overtime victory.
Hogan who started in place of Saunders against Maine and Colgate made three saves in goal.
While the Big Green is undefeated at home, it has yet to win a road contest.
"I think the fact that all of our losses have been away is mostly due to the great opponents we have faced," Rose said. "It is always tough to play on the road, but our away schedule for this pre-season was against some of the best teams we have ever played."
The Big Green next plays on Sunday, beginning conference play against Brown University in Providence, R.I.
Dartmouth has won six of its last eight League openers, and defeated Brown (4-1-1) at home last season, 2-1.
