The Dartmouth women’s soccer team secured two nonconference wins against College of the Holy Cross and Colgate University last week to continue their nonconference success and bring their overall record to 5-1-2.
The Big Green faced Holy Cross on Sept. 10 at Burnham Field in Hanover, winning 1-0 with a goal from Tasha Udebhulu ’30 in the 74th minute.
The Holy Cross Crusaders got off to a strong start, outshooting Dartmouth 6-3 in the first half with three shots in the first 10 minutes of the match. However, Dartmouth was able to prevent them from scoring. Stephanie Lathrop ’28 took a shot in the first minute that went out over the top of the goal, and Emmanuella Frimpomaa ’28 had another high shot in the eighth minute. Frankie Valverde ’27 also took a shot at the end of the half.
The Big Green came out stronger in the second half. They attempted eight shots; five were on target. Michal Cagungun ’29 took a shot towards the bottom center of the goal in the 57th minute, and Frimpomaa had a pair of shots in the 61st minute, but all three were saved.
In the 74th minute, Udebhulu intercepted the Holy Cross goalie’s pass out from the back before shooting past several defenders to score the only goal of the game.
“I was fortunate that the chance had dropped to me, but after that I was composed and I found a clinical finish,” Udebhulu said.
Madison Rose ’29 had another shot on goal in the 82nd minute that was saved. The game finished 1-0 in the Big Green’s favor.
Dartmouth’s defense was strong in the matchup, allowing the Crusaders only one shot on goal in the game. Goalkeeper Ola Goebel ’27 had one save.
Goebel also credited the back line for contributing to the team’s defensive success in both games.
“Probably 80% of the shots that teams take, they actually get in front,” Goebel said, praising her teammates’ defensive ability. “It makes it easier to do my job, which is huge.”
The Big Green then traveled to Hamilton, N.Y. on Sunday Sept. 13 to face Colgate. Each team had three shots on goal in the first 27 minutes, but all were saved.
Dartmouth finally broke through with a goal from Rose, assisted by Udebhulu, in the 41st minute. Udebhulu passed the ball to Rose in the center of the field. Rose took a shot from outside the box, which found the right side of the net to put the Big Green up 1-0.
“Once [Rose] got the ball, she was very composed, took her time, and she found the top corner very nicely to put us in the lead,” Udebhulu said.
The Big Green then came out firing in the second half. Lourdes Lauterborn ’28 and Cagungun combined for three shots in the first five minutes of the half, but neither was able to score. Shortly after, however, in the 56th minute, Nadia Young ’29 got a defensive steal before passing to Cagungun. Reaching the top of the box, Cagungun crossed the ball to Frimpomaa, who blasted the ball into the net to bring Dartmouth its second goal.
Head coach Taylor Schram praised Cagungun’s cross to Frimpomaa. She described the play as one of the team’s best goals this season, emphasizing the collective effort that went into creating it.
Dartmouth had a few more chances as the second half went on, but did not score again. The Big Green defense held strong to maintain the 2-0 lead, allowing only three off-target shots in the remainder of the game.
Schram complimented the defense’s performances so far this season.
“They’re the reason why we’re able to attack freely and get results because they defend so hard,” she said. “They defend with their whole hearts.”
In addition to Goebel in net, the Big Green’s back line is led by captain Ellie Davidson ’27, Kate Ryan ’27 and 2025 Ivy League Rookie of the Year Anna Leschly ’29. Lauterborn, who has primarily played midfield in previous years, has also joined the defensive group.
“It’s really special to have [Leschly] and Kate and Ellie back together with Ola … [and Lauterborn] has really immersed herself in that group seamlessly,” Schram said.
Goebel won Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week for the second week in a row. She said it was “surreal” to win the award.
“It’s amazing and it’s a huge honor, especially because there are so many solid defenders and players within the Ivy League,” she said.
These two victories have continued Dartmouth’s strong start so far this season. Before the Holy Cross matchup, the team played three straight games on the road against Power 4 opponents. They lost a close match to Boston College then travelled to Arizona, where they tied Arizona State University 1-1 and beat the University of Arizona 1-0.
Dartmouth also earned wins against the University of Massachusetts Lowell and the University of San Francisco earlier in the season, and tied with the University of New Hampshire 1-1.
Schram said she was proud of these results, adding that players have “figured out ways to win in different situations” and have “showed their toughness,” especially in the “extreme conditions” on the Arizona trip.
Dartmouth has one more nonconference matchup against Bryant University at home this Saturday, Sept. 20 at 2 p.m. in Hanover, before starting Ivy League play the following weekend.
