The team started off on a high note, scoring the first three goals of the game. After a blocked shot and successful clear, Anthony Fulham '13 received the ball in the center of the field, ran down to the offensive end on a fast break and ripped a shot from about 10 yards out for the goal.
About a minute later, Nikki Dysenchuk '13 tallied his first goal of the game off an assist from Kip Dooley '12 and followed it up a minute later with his second goal off an assist from Colin Delaney '12.
"We came out fast and possessed the ball intelligently for the first part of the game, giving our defense enough rest to be able to play their guys at full strength, and were able to finish our looks we got in the first half," Chris Costabile '13 said.
The Bulldogs finally got on the board with a goal in the final minute of the first period. Dartmouth won the ensuing face-off and kept possession until there were 17 seconds left in the frame. The Bulldogs ran down the field and got a shot off with only four ticks left on the clock. The shot beat Dartmouth goalkeeper Fergus Campbell '12 and gave the Bulldogs a huge boost in momentum going into the second.
"We knew we were going to be in a dogfight and lacrosse is a game of runs, so a three-goal lead is never safe, especially in the first quarter of a game," Costabile said.
Yale dominated the second period statistically, outshooting, outscoring and winning the ground ball battle against the Big Green.
The Bulldogs scored four goals on 15 shots while the Big Green notched two scores on six shots in the frame.
Yale kicked off the scoring in the frame at the 10-minute mark to tie the game. The Big Green regained the lead on a goal from Dysenchuk for his hat trick less than a minute later. The Bulldogs scored the next three to establish a two-goal lead. In this stretch, Yale forced several Big Green turnovers and consistently ripped shots at Campbell, who had four saves in the frame.
Dartmouth gained possession with about two minutes left in the half. The Big Green held the ball for the rest of the quarter, and Dooley cut the lead to one with only one second left on the clock. The teams headed into halftime with Yale holding a slim 6-5 lead.
"The advantage would have been on our side if we had controlled the pace, and we did that in the first half," Colin Heffernan '15 said. "We started to force things in the second."
The third was even statistically in all respects but the scoreboard, which Yale dominated, 4-1. The Bulldogs outshot the Big Green by one, but Dartmouth won the ground ball battle by one.
Brendan Rotanz '14 cut the lead back down to one on an isolation goal, but the Big Green quickly lost its momentum, turning the ball over and allowing the Bulldogs to score on a fast break. Yale tacked on two more in the frame, including one in the final minute.
For the seventh consecutive game, the Big Green trailed going into the fourth quarter and needed to come back furiously, especially after the Yale team increased the lead to five just four minutes into the fourth period. The Big Green was rewarded with a man-up opportunity at the 10:12 mark but was unable to convert.
As the Bulldog player ran back onto the field, Dooley notched his second of the game and broke a 12:49 scoreless streak for the Big Green. After another Yale tally, Mike Olentine '14 scored to cut the lead back to four off of a Dooley assist at the 6:37 mark.
Rotanz scored his second of the game on a man-up opportunity off of a Drew Tunney '12 assist, and Olentine pitched in his second on an isolation play with 1:20 remaining. Unfortunately for the Big Green, the final horn sounded with Dartmouth on the short end of a 13-11 score.
"Our defense played well, but not as outstandingly as they did against Cornell," Heffernan said. "It's just one or two defensive lapses which don't seem so bad at the time, but they're costing us these games."
The star for the Big Green was Dooley, with three goals and two assists. Dysenchuk also notched a hat trick in the contest. Rotanz and Olentine each registered two goals and Fulham contributed one. Campbell had nine saves in another solid performance between the pipes.
Dartmouth was outshot 40-29, lost the ground ball battle, 31-25, and was dominated in face-offs. Although the team forced 19 turnovers, it coughed it up 21 times. The team also committed six penalties and gave up three extra-man goals.
The Big Green next travels to New Jersey to face Princeton University on Saturday.
"If we control the tempo and take care of the ball, it's a winnable game," Heffernan said. "It's a must-win for us going into the Ivy League Tournament [later this season]."
