Friday was an exciting night, as the Big Green women's lacrosse team finished out their regular season with a final Ivy League win against Harvard University under the lights. Co-captains Hana Bowers '13, Kelsey Johnson '13 and Courtney Bennett '13, and Ellie Clayton '13, Casey Griffin '13, Kyra Hansson '13 and Julia Szafman '13 put on an impressive performance in their last home game at Scully-Fahey field. The Big Green rounded out the regular season with nine wins and six losses and finished 5-2 in the Ivy League as they topped the Crimson (2-11, 1-5 Ivy) 15-8.
"The '13s have been strong leaders on the team for all four years," Holly Foster '14 said. "They play the whole range of positions on the field and are skilled in all areas. They are really encouraging and set the tone for the year by working extremely hard every day in practice and by playing consistently in games."
Bennett said the game was sad, as it was "the first of many lasts."
The offense was powered by standout performances from Liz Calby '14, who finished with five goals and two assists, and Bowers, who netted five goals, tallied an assist and pulled down seven draw controls. Bennett contributed a goal and an assist, Jaclyn Leto '16 and Gabby Starkey '16 each added two goals and an assist, and Johnson connected with three assists.
Starkey set the tone for the game right away with a goal in the first 35 seconds of play. Johnson used an eight-meter opportunity to feed Calby, who just snuck the ball past the goal line. Johnson had her head up looking for openings and less than two minutes later connected with Bowers as she cut behind her defender on the crease.
The Crimson rallied and scored three goals in a row in the flow of their offense to tie the game 3-3. Leto raced in and converted, with a shot to the top right corner on an eight-meter to retake the lead. Harvard went on another three-goal run, dodging from out high and reversing the ball behind the cage. Bowers and Calby demonstrated their connectedness before time ran out, as both crept around the crease, and Bowers sent a short pass in front of the net that Calby quick sticked past the goalie.
A close first half sent the Big Green to the locker room down by a single goal. Dartmouth allowed only two goals in the entire second half and scored an additional 10 to bring the game total to 15-8.
"It was the first game where we really had a good flow on attack," Bowers said. "The younger girls were stepping up and we were running the plays really well. Liz Calby and I played the best we have all year together behind the cage."
Johnson dodged past her defender and passed over to Calby to tie up the game. Bennett saw Calby coming up from her spot behind the cage and sent a pass that Calby finished to retake the lead 7-6. Then came Harvard's only goals of the half. A one-versus-one take tallied the first goal and a no-look pass to an open teammate on the crease added the second.
Down by one, the Big Green went on an eight-goal unanswered streak. Bowers had three in a row as she rolled the crease, bounced in an eight-meter and came up just far enough off the goal line to get an angle to bounce in another shot. Bennett faked a pass and continued to drive in to secure her goal. From behind the cage, Calby fed Bowers, who raced in to quick stick the ball past the goalie. Leto dodged past her defender to get a good position in front of the cage to tally her goal.
Moving the ball around the offensive zone as time ran off the clock, Calby sent a shot over the goalie's shoulder and then hit Starkey on the crease from behind for the game's final goal.
Johnson said the defense made critical adjustments after half time.
"We knew we had to step up on defense," she said. "We were a step behind them and needed to attack their attack. We started to get out and aggressively pressure them and were sending quick slides."
Bennett said the Big Green's draw control in the second half changed the game.
"The first half the draw was pretty even," she said. "Controlling them in the second half helped us generate momentum and get more looks on attack."
The squad earned the third seed in the Ivy League tournament and will travel to Philadelphia to play next weekend. The University of Pennsylvania, the number one seed, will take on fourth seed Cornell University, while the Big Green will face second-seed Princeton University. The winners of the two games will face off to determine the Ivy League champion.
Bowers and Bennett said that winning the draw control and maintaining possession will be key to Dartmouth's game.
"Last time, we were reacting to them and playing at their speed," Johnson added. "It is hard to beat a team in the Ivies twice. We need to forget about the last time and be confident and play our game."
