Under the bright Saturday night lights at Burnham Field in Hanover, N.H., the Dartmouth women’s soccer team achieved a 2-1 victory over the Cornell Big Red to earn the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Ivy League tournament.
The Big Green clinched their spot in the tournament with a 1-0 victory over Yale on Oct. 26, thanks to a penalty kick by Hailey Rorick ’26 in the 88th minute. After Princeton University defeated Brown University earlier on Saturday and gained the top seed, the Big Green was fighting for the No. 2 seed in their matchup against Cornell.
Neither team scored in the first half, but each team had two shots and one shot on goal. Big Green goalkeeper Ola Goebel ’27 made a crucial diving save in the 18th minute, and the Dartmouth back line successfully prevented the Big Red from having many goal-scoring opportunities.
In the second half, the Big Green scored two goals in quick succession to take a 2-0 lead over Cornell.
Frankie Valverde ’27 found herself one-on-one with a Cornell defender and, with some nice footwork, scored the first goal of the night in the 58th minute. She says the team has “been working all week on finishing” breakaways and scoring opportunities.
Not long after, in the 59th minute, Emmanuella Frimpomaa ’28 scored the second goal with an assist from Lourdes Lauterborn ’28.
“I just sprinted all out and I just played it and it was amazing,” Frimpomaa said.
Head coach Taylor Schram praised both Valverde and Frimpomaa for their performances.
“They were absolutely on fire on both sides of the ball,” Schram said. “Their chase-down defending [and] their ability to create the attack was outstanding, and it was really fun to see them get on the scoreboard tonight.”
The Big Green had more scoring chances overall in the second half, with 10 shots, four of which were on goal.
Cornell’s Emily Gibbons scored in the 78th minute to make the score 2-1, but the Big Red were unable to even the score before time expired. Goebel had three saves in the second half for Dartmouth.
The Big Green’s win means they will face three-seed Columbia at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday in the first round of the Ivy League tournament in Princeton, N.J. Dartmouth beat the Lions 1-0 in their previous matchup on Oct. 4 on Burnham Field. If Dartmouth wins, they will face the winner of No. 1 Princeton vs. No. 4 Brown for the Ivy League title and an NCAA tournament berth.
Schram discussed the team’s excitement about gaining a spot in the Ivy tournament.
“We talked about it all season long, that the goal was to finish in the top four …we’ve had a lot of fun this season, so the fact that we get another week together is something that we're really excited about,” Schram said.
Valverde was also excited about the team’s postseason play.
“We’ve worked incredibly hard,” she said. “So I think for it to all pay off, it just feels so rewarding. We’re super excited to get another win next Thursday.”
The game was the last regular season match for the Big Green and the last home game of the season.
Saturday night was also Dartmouth’s senior night, which celebrates the departing class of 26s. Seven seniors — defenders Grace Martin ’26 and Sonoma Adams ’26, midfielders Rorick, Mary Lundregan ’26 and Kellie Sutton ’26 and forwards Jaidyn Curry ’26 and Audrey Marin ’26 — were honored before the game for their contributions to the Dartmouth women’s soccer program over the past four years.
Frimpomaa and Valverde were very complimentary of their senior teammates.
“They made a lot of impact on the team, and their legacy will forever be remembered and cherished,” Frimpomaa said.
“They’re just so kind, so welcoming, and they work incredibly hard … so to win with them tonight was super special,” Valverde said.
Schram also had a heartfelt message for her senior class.
“Thank you guys for absolutely everything,” Schram said. “We would not be in this position if it weren’t for you guys. You always talked about wanting to leave Dartmouth women’s soccer better than you found it, and you have in every sense.”
