It was green and white versus black and orange vying to secure second place in the Ivies. A total of 28 goals ignited a game of back-and-forth lead changes. Dartmouth was ahead with eight and a half minutes to play, but Princeton managed to net three goals before time expired to win 15-13 and secure second seed in the Ivy tournament.
"You need to show up ready every day because there is always someone who wants to beat you," co-captain Courtney Bennett '13 said. "It all hinges on one, two or three losses. Everyone is out for blood."
The Tigers controlled the draw and possession early on, rattling off three quick goals in the opening 10 minutes of play. Following a television timeout, co-captain Hana Bowers '13 brought the ball to the front of the crease and twisted left and right with her back to the goal until she turned and shot into the upper corner, tallying the team's first goal halfway through the first half.
Princeton responded with a pair of goals and movement and quick passing on offense to get ahead 5-1. Bowers began a four-goal run for the Big Green as she tore around the crease with her left hand. Liz Calby '14 displayed athleticism as she jumped in the air and shot down over a defender into the bottom of the net. Sarah Byrne '15 got the third goal of the run as she drove across the eight and ripped a shot high past the goalie. Calby was knocked to the ground and earned an eight-meter penalty shot, which she converted to tie up the game 5-5 with five and a half minutes on the clock before halftime.
Each team tallied one more goal before the half. Princeton scored an eight-meter, while Dartmouth worked the ball from the right out top to Bennett, who swung it to Byrne on the right side for a goal with 20 seconds left.
Princeton started off the scoring in the second half with a shot that snuck inside the left pipe. Less than 30 seconds later, Bennett won the ensuing draw and tore down field and scored to tie the game. Byrne earned her hat trick with an eight-meter conversion into the upper right corner to take the lead for the first time all game, 8-7.
Princeton added three goals to the team's total, with a pair coming from running offensive plays and one from an eight-meter. Following up a Princeton fan pushup celebration, Lindsey Allard '14 drove down the left side and dodged her defender to close the gap to one. The Tigers followed up with a similar goal to widen the margin back to two. Bennett bounced in an eight-meter to again close the gap to one goal with less than 15 minutes left.
Bowers drew a shooting space call and fired a right-handed shot into the top right corner to net the score at 11. Following an off ball foul, Gabby Starkey '16 took possession on an eight-meter and launched a low bounce shot to the right corner to put the Big Green ahead.
The Tigers had their sticks high in the air waiting for the next draw and tied up the game with just over 10 minutes left. Bowers came up from behind the net and fed a short pass over to Allard, who got her stick up right in front of the crease and scored to again put Dartmouth ahead by one.
A strong final five minutes by the Tigers ultimately gave them the edge. Dartmouth goalie Kristen Giovanniello '14, who had six saves in the game, was called for a 10-second penalty as she waited to clear the ball that turned possession over to the Tigers. With Giovanniello way out of her cage, the Tigers found an open girl in front of the cage that finished into an empty net. A shooting space call led to an eight-meter that the Tigers converted to gain the lead by one goal with less than three minutes left.
The end of the match found Dartmouth sending double teams and Giovanniello out of her net trying to help win back the ball back from the Tigers, who were spread out in the offensive zone moving the ball. The Tigers found an opening as the last seconds ticked down to extend their lead to two and ultimately win the match.
"Once the offense got into its rhythm, there were a lot of good looks on goal," said Perrin Brown '15, an avid fan and member of the club lacrosse team. "The defense was solid and marking well, and the goalie made a lot of great saves. I think if they work on getting the draw controls and capitalize on offensive opportunities they are on pace to have a good shot in the Ivy tournament."
Bennett felt the slow start for the Big Green was due to possession.
"We barely had the ball on attack in the first 15 minutes," she said. "We needed to get the draw so that we could have possession without first needing a defensive stop."
Co-captain Kelsey Johnson '13 said the team did not display their usual defensive tactics.
"As a defense, we were playing hesitant and quiet and letting them dictate play," Johnson said. "Their best attacker, Erin McMunn, was hurting us a little at the beginning but then Holly Foster ['14] came in and face guarded her and shut her down."
A week of practice will lead into the team's final regular season game on Friday against Harvard University at home.
"We need to come out with a lot of passion," Bennett said. "This team has so much character and talent, and is incredibly connected. We need to prove that the last two games were fluxes and show, like we did against Cornell, that we are capable of playing a good 60 minutes of lacrosse."
