Dartmouth women’s soccer earned a 1-0 victory against No. 19 Harvard University in front of a home crowd on Oct. 10. The team had not beaten a ranked opponent since 2009, making this a historic win for the Big Green. A free kick goal from Stephanie Lathrop ’28 in the 62nd minute and a crucial penalty saved by Ola Goebel ’27 in the 83rd minute helped lead Dartmouth to the big win.
Harvard put the pressure on Dartmouth’s defense early. Crimson senior Ólöf Kristinsdóttir and first-year Camila Reinaldo each had a shot on goal in the first 12 minutes, but both were saved by Goebel. Dartmouth’s first offensive action came in the 12th minute, with a shot on goal from Madison Rose ’29 saved by Harvard’s goalie Nicole Bidun.
Each team took several more shots in the first half, but none of them were on frame. Lykke Ihrfelt ’29 had two shots, while Rose, Frankie Valverde ’27, Michal Cagungun ’29 and Lourdes Lauterborn ’28 each had a shot in the remainder of the period.
Both teams came out firing in the second half, with a shot on goal from Maeve Theobald ’29 in the 47th minute and a shot from Kristinsdóttir that was saved by Goebel in the 49th minute.
The only goal of the half came in the 62nd minute. Valverde drew a yellow just outside the box to set up a free kick for the Big Green. Lathrop stepped up to take the kick, shooting into the top left corner of the net to give Dartmouth the 1-0 lead.
“I practice all the time, so just getting an opportunity to take it … it feels great and it’s awesome to celebrate with the team,” Lathrop said.
Head coach Taylor Schram commended Lathrop’s performance.
“It’s what Steph does,” Schram said. “It’s really incredible the way that she can find composure in those high pressure moments.”
Harvard tried to make up their deficit, first with a shot on goal from Kristinsdóttir off of a corner kick in the 67th minute that was saved by midfielder Addison Ball ’29 and defender Anna Leschly ’29.
The Crimson’s best chance, however, came in the form of a penalty kick in the 83rd minute after Kate Ryan ’27 was handed a yellow card for fouling. Kristinsdóttir hit the ball into the right corner of the net, but Goebel was able to get a hand on it and the team cleared the deflection to prevent Harvard from scoring. It was the first penalty kick Goebel faced as a college goalkeeper.
“I was super nervous,” Goebel said. “I was able to get it right and get my hand there, and then my team crashed and got behind me.”
Schram was proud of Goebel’s poise despite her nerves.
“She showed such composure, such confidence and courage to really attack the moment,” Schram said.
Neither team was able to score in the remainder of the game, and the match ended 2-1. The win was Dartmouth women’s soccer’s first victory against a top 25-ranked opponent since they beat West Virginia University 1-0 on Sept. 13, 2009. It also brings the Big Green to 2-1 in Ivy League play, which places the team in second place in the Ivy League standings. Dartmouth beat Penn 4-0 in their Ivy League opener, then lost 2-0 to Columbia University on the road last weekend.
Goebel said the team was very excited about the win.
“It was really exciting to see the team step up against such a strong Harvard team, especially on our home field in front of so many family members and fans,” she said.
Schram said the “Harvard match always brings out the best in the players. The fact that they were ranked and it was in front of our home crowd just made it even more special.”
Dartmouth ended the game with 12 shots, three of which were on goal, while Harvard had 17 total shots, six of which were on frame. Goebel had five saves, while Harvard’s goalkeepers had two.
In addition to Goebel’s strong performance in goal, Dartmouth’s back line had an impressive performance against Harvard’s very strong offense.
“I thought our backline was one of the best backlines in the country on Saturday night, which really helped put Ola in a position to have to face less than what Harvard typically generates,” Schram said.
Dartmouth will face Brown University in Hanover on Oct. 17 at 6 p.m. Brown is currently at the top of the Ivy League standings with a 2-0-1 record.
“Brown is another opponent that brings out the best in us because we know we need to to be our best in order to be competitive in the game,” Schram said. “We’re going to be excited to be back in front of our home crowd, in front of our alums during Alumni Weekend … and hopefully put together another great performance.”
