One of the best opponents the Big Green (5-4-3, 2-1 Ivy) has faced this season, BU (9-3-3, 4-1 Patriot League) sits 100 spots above Dartmouth on the NCAA Division I rankings.
"BU is a huge game in that they're a very good team," co-captain Marina Moschitto '14 said. "They played Harvard, who is sitting at the top of the Ivy League, and they beat Harvard. We played BU well, and we probably could've beat them. There's no reason we can't beat anyone in the Ivy League."
Since the Ivy season started, Dartmouth has tied both of its mid-week games against non-conference opponents, the first coming last weekend in Durham, against the University of New Hampshire.
"Last week was a tie, too, but that helps us because it means that we're not complacent," co-captain Emma Brush '13 said. "It's a good preparation for the conference games because it means that we know we need to come out hard."
The game against BU was the first time the Big Green was unable to shut out its opponents since dropping its Ivy opener to Brown University. BU freshman forward Erica Kosienski took several Dartmouth defenders before launching a deep shot from well outside the 18, perfectly angled into the top of the net in the 37th minute.
"Teams like BU have particular players who don't necessarily play into the whole team, but they can finish opportunities," Brush said. "It was just a lax moment on our part."
The goal, however, was a peculiarity in an otherwise Dartmouth-dominated half.
"I feel we played well in the first half but gave up a soft goal, and we came up a little frantic," forward Corey Delaney '16 said. "We could've played a little more composed."
The second half was more a battle for Dartmouth, who struggled to reestablish authority on the field. The team had several opportunities on corner kicks, but each time the balls into the box were sent back toward the Big Green's defense.
"We practice over and over again, but different teams play differently defensively," Brush said. "We just need to get a better read on the defense and think ahead."
BU's physicality challenged Dartmouth, as the Terriers broke up several high-energy Dartmouth attacks with aggressive defense. A foul in the 48th minute halted a focused assault by the Big Green in its tracks and allowed BU to regroup and send the ball back.
"I think it always is physical, but BU has some bigger girls," Brush said. "Our past seven games have been really physical, and historically we have been too. We go all in."
After an uphill back and forth against BU, the Big Green recovered and found its rhythm, scoring a goal in the 84th minute. Jackie Friedman '16 charged into the goal box with the ball in possession, carrying it all the way to the keeper and colliding with the defender. The ball ricocheted outside, and Delaney was able to finish the drive, scoring Dartmouth's tying goal and carrying the two opponents into a high-intensity set of overtimes.
"[Friedman] is so special in the outside back because not only does she play amazing defense, but she also drives the ball up," Brush said. "That goal really came because she was willing to crash the keeper."
During the two overtimes, the Big Green narrowly lost out on a victory when a second shot by Delaney flew over the crossbar, within inches of a goal.
"We might not be sinking in those pretty 30-yard bombs, but the way we scored our goal, especially in the last minutes, showed that we really wanted it more," Moschitto said. "We knew we were going to score even though it was late in the game. I honestly thought we were going to have another one. There were a ton of great chances."
Dartmouth looks to take another step toward a potential Ivy title when it hits the road to play the University of Pennsylvania in a conference game on Saturday.
