While week six witnesses the beginning of hockey season in Hanover, the rest of Dartmouth’s fall sports teams hit the road this weekend after Homecoming, hoping to avoid a hangover from a relatively successful weekend. Here’s our take on some of the matchups.
Football at Columbia University(1:30 p.m. Saturday)The bulk of Ivy play is coming up for the Big Green (4-1, 2-0 Ivy), who enters its final five games (all against Ivy opponents) tied for first in the Ancient Eight. This week’s matchup against the Lions (0-5, 0-2 Ivy) seems to be a coast game for the Big Green. The Lions have only posted double-digits once (a 61-28 loss to Monmouth University) and have given up a total of 221 points for the season. The teams had one common opponent so far — the University of Pennsylvania. The Big Green dominated the Quakers 31-13 and the Lions fell 31-7 to their Keystone State foe.The Lions are a pass-first offense. Splitting time between two quarterbacks, the team has 1,089 passing yards compared to just 229 rushing yards. For comparison, Dartmouth rushed for 218 yards in its game against Penn alone. The Columbia offense averages 263 yards per game, a number that quarterback Dalyn Williams ’16 has surpassed in two games this year.The Lions defense is porous, giving up over 540 yards per game including 280 on the ground. Look for Williams and the two-headed monster of Kyle Bramble ’16 and Brian Grove ’16 to have big days.This game should be an easy win for the Big Green, provided it doesn’t do too much scoreboard watching of the huge Harvard University-Princeton University game in New Jersey.PREDICTION: Dartmouth 49-7
Women’s soccer at Columbia (4 p.m. Saturday)The women’s soccer team (4-4-4, 1-0-3 Ivy) comes into the game fresh off its first Ivy win, a 2-0 victory over the Penn. Columbia (6-2-5, 2-1-1 Ivy) comes in off a 1-0 win against Princeton that helped propel it to a tie for second in the Ancient Eight, just one point ahead of the Dartmouth women. The Big Green tied Princeton 2-2 earlier this season. Their other common Ivy opponent is Penn, which the Lions lost to 1-0.This game should be a defensive battle. The Big Green has a slightly more potent offense, but is only averaging 1.08 goals per game. The Lions surrender 0.56 goals per game and the Dartmouth women give up 0.68 per contest. Three Lions goalkeepers have worked to earn the team seven shutouts this year.Dartmouth’s backline, led by goalkeeper Tatiana Saunders ’15, has been equally spectacular with six shutouts, including four in a row. Lucielle Kozlov ’16 and Corey Delaney ’16 will have to play their best to find the net.PREDICTION: 0-0 tie
Men’s soccer at Columbia (7 p.m. Saturday)The men’s soccer team (7-4-1, 2-1-0 Ivy) comes into this matchup against the Lions (5-5-1, 1-1-1 Ivy) in the throes of a two-game losing streak after reeling off five in a row. The Big Green put up two goals during its most-recent skid, compared to 21 during its previous eight-game unbeaten streak.Both teams have already played Penn this season. The Big Green lost 2-1 on Saturday to the Quakers and the Lions defeated Penn by the same score on Oct. 11.The Lions’ defense has been stingier than the Big Green’s, allowing only 13 goals, compared to 17, but the offense is less potent. The Dartmouth men are outscoring Columbia 24-13. Columbia only has three multi-goal scorers, including freshman Francisco Agrest and sophomore Rhys Williams, who each have three goals. The Big Green brings a much more balanced attack, as seven players have multiple goals. Junior goalkeeper Kyle Jackson could cause issues for the Big Green attack, led by Alex Adelabu ’15, Hugh Danilack ’15, and Matt Danilack ’18. Jackson has 22 saves and has only allowed 12 goals.If the Big Green can get on the board early, this game could turn in its favor. But this could be a challenge against Columbia’s defense that has held opponents to 39 shots on net this season.PREDICTION: Dartmouth 1-0
