Both the men's and women's lacrosse teams will open regular season play on Saturday, as the men travel to Hamilton, N.Y. to take on Colgate University and the women face in-state rival University of New Hampshire in Durham. The women's team in particular carries high expectations this season after finishing the 2011 season ranked No. 11 in the nation and earning a trip to the NCAA tournament for the 12th time in program history. The Big Green finished with a 6-1 record in Ivy League play last spring and shared the regular-season Ivy title with the University of Pennsylvania.
The Big Green must step up to the challenge of replacing six graduated seniors, including Ivy League Player of the Year Kat Collins '11 and All-Ivy players Greta Meyer '11 and Shannie McKenzie '11. Dartmouth is hardly working with a bare cupboard, however, as 2011 Ivy Rookie of the Year and first-team All-Ivy selection Kristen Giovanniello '14 returns as goalkeeper, as well as first-team All-Ivy midfielder Sarah Plumb '12.
Dartmouth has prepared for the season through scrimmages, which are important because the team does not get the chance to play outside often during Winter term.
"Our scrimmages these past two weekends were great learning experiences," women's co-captain Georgia Bird '12 said. "A lot of the younger players obtained valuable game experience. February is a long month, with lots and lots of practice. It's always so nice to break it up a bit with scrimmages against other teams."
The women have a tough schedule ahead of them. The Big Green will take on national powerhouse No. 5 Duke University in Hanover on March 17 before traveling to Gainesville, Fla. just three days later to face No. 4 University of Florida. The home opener, which also doubles as the Ivy opener, comes on March 3 against Yale University.
"Everyone on the team is really excited for the season to finally be here and to see our hard work pay off," Bird said. "I'm feeling very positive about the game this weekend."
The men's team is set to debut this weekend as well. The Big Green returns second-team All-Ivy goalkeeper Fergus Campbell '12 and Kip Dooley '12 and Nikki Dysenchuk '13, both of whom were named honorable mention All-Ivy last season.
Campbell was recently named to the watch list for the Tewaaraton Award, which honors the nation's top lacrosse player. Campbell was not the only Dartmouth player to receive an accolade recently, however, as Dooley was named a candidate for the Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, one of only four Ivy League lacrosse players to be honored.
Dartmouth finished with a 1-6 record in the Ivy League last season, something the team is looking to improve in 2012.
"Our goal this season is to bring the same high level of intensity and focus to each session whether that be in the weight room, on the practice field or in games," Dooley said. "It's dangerous to get caught up in long-term goals. We know that if we commit 100 percent to the day-in, day-out challenges, in the end we will realize our potential on game day."
After scrimmages against Big East opponents Providence College and Georgetown University, Dartmouth heads into its first official game of the season against Colgate on Saturday.
The Big Green opens the home portion of its schedule on March 3 against Sacred Heart University, while the Ivy opener is scheduled for March 24 against Harvard University.
"This is by far the best preseason we've had in the four years our class has been here," Dooley said. "The team dynamic is fun and focused, and the coaches are doing a great job of getting us ready for game day. We're feeling very confident in our ability to play together and to play fast."
Dooley is a member of The Dartmouth Staff.
