The Dartmouth women's soccer team extended its winning streak to five games on Saturday, defeating Columbia University on the road, 1-0. Tasha Wilkins '15 scored in the 65th minute to give the Big Green (11-4, 4-1 Ivy) its seventh win at Columbia (6-8, 2-3) since 1999.
Dartmouth came out aggressively from the first whistle but struggled to adjust to the Lions' turf field, which was smaller than Dartmouth's Burnham Field.
"We didn't come out too well," co-captain Aurelia Solomon '13 said. "We were having difficulty stringing passes together."
As the half progressed, Dartmouth continued to work and began to create scoring opportunities. Just before heading to the locker room, Kelly Brait '14 moved up the field from the back line and took a hard shot, forcing Columbia sophomore goalkeeper Grace Redmon to make a tough save.
In addition to playing on a smaller field and a different surface than at home, the Big Green played into the wind and sun in the first half, which may explain why the team had just nine shots in the first half compared to 13 in the second. During halftime, Dartmouth coach Theresa Romagnolo urged her charges to get the ball to the forwards more and create more one-on-one matchups.
"We talked about making the most out of the space on the field and having people step up and go one-versus-one in their areas of the field to create something off the dribble," Romagnolo said. "I wanted them to be more aggressive and pull Columbia out of their defensive shape by getting behind them."
Dartmouth took Romagnolo's advice to heart and came out aggressively in the second half, taking the first four shots of the half. The Big Green finally got on the scoreboard in the 65th minute after Wilkins emerged with possession at midfield.
She passed the ball wide to Corey Delaney '16, who beat three Columbia players and made a run to the left side of Columbia's penalty area. Delaney took a hard shot from outside the box that was deflected by Redmon, but Wilkins was there to finish the play and slid to put the ball in the back of the net. It was Wilkins' second goal of the season.
"Basically, [the goal was] the two of them making something out of nothing, which a lot of times is what it's about," Romagnolo said.
Columbia subbed Redmon for backup Gabby Dubick late in the game, but the Big Green proved to be too much for the Lions and maintained momentum. Dartmouth peppered Columbia's goal with shots and refused to relent on defense. In the last few minutes of the game, Columbia strung together a series of passes to get into the Big Green half and made one last effort to tie the game. The Lions' first attempt went wide, and a Big Green defender blocked a second shot. Solomon said that the Big Green had a little more focus on defense toward the end of the game, but maintained its attacking style of play.
"We didn't really change anything, but it was really a mentality that we're not going to get scored on," Solomon said. "We kept going at them and really wanted to win it."
Offensively, Dartmouth dominated throughout the game. The Big Green outshot Columbia 22-10 overall and 13-4 in the second half. Marina Moschitto '14, Emma Brush '13 and Libby Hamlin '13 each recorded four shots in the win, while Tatiana Saunders '15 had four saves in goal.
"In the first half, we struggled a bit offensively, but in the second half we really picked it up," Brush said. "We started playing more cohesively and attacking more."
Dartmouth will play its last home game this weekend when the team takes on Harvard on Sunday at Burnham Field. The Big Green is currently tied with the University of Pennsylvania for second place in the Ivy League. Princeton University, which is a perfect 5-0 in the league and riding an eight-game win streak, sits atop the standings.
"At this point, all awe can control is beating Harvard and beating Cornell [University on Nov. 3] and hoping that Princeton loses," Solomon said. "We're taking a one-game approach like we've been doing all season."
After a 4-12 record in her first season in 2011, Romagnolo has seen a marked improvement in her second year at the helm.
"I'm super proud of what we've done, but we still have a lot more to accomplish in these last two games," Romagnolo said.