Displaying a potent offense, the Big Green found the net early and often against Holy Cross (1-8), scoring its first goal after only nine minutes of play when Liz Blanken '13 converted a penalty stroke for her third goal of the season.
On its way to eight goals, three of the Big Green's players scored multiple times, including Janine Leger '15, who scored the first hat-trick of her collegiate career. Having scored in the first half, Leger wasted no time in the second before chasing the trifecta, scoring two more goals within the first two minutes of the second half.
Having lost leading scorer Kelly Hood '12, who led the Big Green in scoring during all four of her years at Dartmouth, the game against Holy Cross was important in showing that when firing on all cylinders, Dartmouth is more than capable of finding the back of the net.
Against Brown (2-4, 0-2 Ivy), the Big Green relied as much on mental strength as offensive prowess, battling back twice from a goal down and securing a well-earned win. When co-captain Maya Herm '13 tied the game at two goals apiece with just over 10 minutes to play, the stage was set for a dramatic finish.
With the clock winding down, Ali Savage '15 streaked down the sideline, and dribbled to the end-line before cutting a ball across the goal, where it found the waiting stick of Sam Anderson '14 for the winning goal.
"I just kind of touched it, tipped it in," Anderson said.
Despite trailing twice in the game, Anderson felt the momentum shift as soon as Herm knotted the game up.
"We were kind of on an up because we had just tied it up," Anderson said. "I felt we were on our way to getting another goal."
The win was Dartmouth's sixth consecutive victory against the Bears, and Lisa Masini '13 has been there for four of those contests. For the fourth time in her Dartmouth career, Masini saw a sibling looking back at her in a Bears uniform. This weekend, however, it was not older sister Kit who graduated from Brown last spring but instead her younger sister Anna, who is a freshman for the Bears.
"It was weird, but a lot of fun to play against her," Masini said. "At one point we were on the same side, so coach had me switch sides to make sure I wasn't distracted."
Sibling matchups are not that uncommon in Division-I sports. Dartmouth coach Amy Fowler recounted having coached players with siblings at Lehigh University and the University of Vermont, among other schools. With the win, Masini preserved her perfect record against her sisters.
The finish against Brown was indicative of the collective attitude that the Big Green has been trying to bring to the field this year. Stressing the need to a play a full 70 minutes with a style that Anderson described as "composed urgency," the Big Green is still trying to eliminate lapses in concentration, such as the late goal conceded to Holy Cross off of a corner with only 10 minutes left in a blowout victory.
Playing three games in five days, the Big Green showcased its deep roster.
"Everyone, unless they were injured, got minutes this weekend," Fowler said.
Practice was also slightly modified on Thursday, providing a respite from the normal routine and ensuring that players were ready to go for the two weekend games. A quick turnaround was only the latest possible stumbling point in what has been a brutal schedule so far for the Big Green.
Dartmouth has faced several quality teams over the past two weeks, including No. 2 Princeton University and No. 3 University of Maryland, and while the schedule has undoubtedly played a role in the Big Green's slow start to the season, the team has gained valuable experience from the four-game losing streak that preceded this week's games, according to Fowler.
"We're walking into Penn with a lot of confidence," Fowler said.
Having lost last weekend to Princeton, every Ivy League game has essentially become a must-win for the Big Green.
"We want to be in a position to challenge for the Ivy League title," Fowler said.
To do so, the Big Green will have to finish perfectly in the conference and hope that Princeton drops a game.
