The Big Green (10-2, 5-0 Ivy League) ended with a 7-0 home record this season after finishing 8-0 in regular season home games last year. In its lopsided win over the Purple Eagles (3-9, 0-4 MAAC), Dartmouth reached the 20-goal mark for the first time since 2010.
The contest stayed close through the first 12 minutes of play with Dartmouth holding a slim 3-2 lead thanks to two early goals by Sarah Plumb '12 and one by Erin Massimi '12. The Big Green pulled away from the Purple Eagles by scoring the next eight goals and establishing a commanding 11-3 lead. By the end of the first half, the lead had increased to 15-3.
After halftime, numerous underclassmen players saw playing time, as Dartmouth added six more goals. It was a big day for the Big Green offense, with nine players scoring multiple points.
Coming off the bench, Casey Griffin '13 led all players with four goals, the first of which was her first career tally. Kirsten Goldberg '12, Lindsey Allard '14 and Plumb each scored three goals. Christine Lushefski '15 came off the bench and contributed two more goals for the Big Green. With a large lead in the second half, many freshmen received significant playing time and contributed to the scoring effort.
"A lot of our underclassmen got playing time and really stepped up in big ways, which was exciting," Dana Brisbane '12 said.
Playing in her second game this season after an early season injury, Sarah Parks '12 led the team in assists, helping on four goals. She scored her first goal of the year and tallied a game-high five points. Anjalie Christie '14 also scored the first goal of her career to accompany two assists.
"I think the game proved how much depth we have as a team, with that many players having earned points on the day," Hilary Smith '12 said.
In addition to her three goals, Plumb also broke Dartmouth's all-time draw control record. With four draw controls in the first half, she passed the previous record held by Whitney Douthett '07 by one control. Plumb now has 136 controls in her career and is four away from the Ivy League record. Smith added five draw controls to lead the team on the day.
The Big Green also dominated defensively, as all three goalkeepers received playing time against the Purple Eagles. Kristen Giovanniello '14 started the game and made three saves in 30 minutes, securing her 10th win of the season.
Julia Szafman '13 entered in the second half and made two saves while allowing no goals. Jessica Frieder '15 relieved her halfway through the second half, allowing only one goal.
Brisbane praised the team's effort and focus, especially coming off an important win two days earlier against its Ivy League rival the University of Pennsylvania.
"We learned that we can come off a big win on Saturday, have one short practice Sunday and then perform on Monday, which is important because the Ivy Tournament has a similar format," she said.
Dartmouth dominated in all facets of the game. The Big Green outshot Niagara, 36-14, and led draw controls, 20-6. Plumb led the team in ground balls, scooping up three of Dartmouth's 16.
One of the lone bright stars for Niagara was junior Fran Pollastro, who recorded two goals and three shots on net. Freshman Carrie-Jo Farrugia and sophomore Paige Matecki added one goal each to round out the scoring.
This weekend, Dartmouth will look to extend its undefeated streak in conference league when the team travels to Princeton University to take on the Tigers on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Princeton (6-6, 3-2 Ivy) is currently in a four-way tie for third place in the Ivy League, while Dartmouth sits atop the Ancient Eight as the only undefeated team.
"It was definitely a great win and has set us up well for good practices this week and then our trip down to Princeton this weekend," Brisbane said.
Staff writer Claire Monagan contributed reporting to this article.
