The teams were well-matched throughout the 70-minute contest despite the team's lopsided score. The Big Green (8-5, 3-1 Ivy) tallied 28 shots in the game 15 in the first half and 13 in the second but only managed to score once as Yale sophomore goalie Emily Cain made 13 saves.
Dartmouth goalie Meagan Vakiener '12 also had an impressive performance, blocking nine shots her high for the season.
Co-captain Kerry Bracco '12 added that Dartmouth's offense lacked the firepower present in many of its previous victories this season.
"On offense, we needed to take advantage of our opportunities and finish inside the circle," Bracco said.
Dartmouth started the game off well, opening the scoring on a goal by Ali Savage '15 less than eight minutes into the game. Lisa Masini '13 assisted Savage in the upfield attack, giving her a League-leading 14 assists this season.
Dartmouth could not hold the early momentum, however, as Yale (7-6, 3-1 Ivy) controlled the scoring for the remainder of the game. Sophomore Georgia Holland scored two goals during the first half, and another goal by freshman Jessie Accurso gave the Bulldogs a 3-1 lead at halftime.
Yale widened the scoring gap during the second half when Holland scored her third goal of the game. Senior Chelsey Locarno recorded her second goal of the season in the 69th minute.
Dartmouth struggled on the defensive side of the field, and co-captain Kelly Hood '12 said the Big Green should have better anticipated Yale's penalty corners.
"Defensively, we just didn't follow through on our game plan," Hood said. "We also gave up a lot of corners, which really hurt us too."
Bracco added that several defensive players were rusty after the team dominated offensively in previous play.
"On defense, we needed to clean up our individual skills," she said.
Despite the loss, Dartmouth does not plan to make changes to its practice strategies, and still hopes to finish well in the League. The Big Green is currently in a five-way tie for first place in the conference.
"Going forward, we're going to stick to our game plan," Hood said. "We're going to stay positive, we're going to continue to work hard and we're going to continue to do what we always do."
Dartmouth has three League games remaining this season, including its Homecoming game against Columbia University on Saturday at 12 p.m. The Big Green also plays Boston College on Sunday.
"My goal is to play for a full 70 minutes on Saturday and put up a good effort against Columbia," Hood said. "We're just going to go out and play hard."
Bracco said she anticipates that both opponents will present the Big Green with challenges.
"Both Columbia and Boston College are very good teams so we expect both to be very competitive games," Bracco said. "We'll go into these games like we do any other. We will scout the teams and work on aspects that specifically pertain to each and improve upon those areas we were lacking on Saturday."
