On Wednesday night, the Dartmouth women's lacrosse team secured at least a share of its ninth Ivy League title in team history.
There was no Dick Vitale talking about who would be cutting down the nets at the Final Four, and no one was likely scrambling to set up an office pool as the teams were announced, but last Monday's NCAA tournament selection show had all the excitement of March Madness for the Dartmouth men's soccer team. Unfortunately, the Big Green's name never came up, as the squad was snubbed for a bid in the field of 48.
The men's soccer team has only one thing left to do during its regular season campaign, and that is to take care of Brown. For the second time in three years, all the chips get placed on the table as Dartmouth (8-7-1, 4-1-1 Ivy) and Brown (5-7-4, 1-3-2 Ivy) meet with the Ivy League title still on the line. Unlike two years ago, however, Brown has no shot at the championship.
If you asked the members of the Dartmouth men's soccer team six months ago if they thought Saturday's game against Brown would have Ivy League title implications for the Big Green, they surely would have said yes.
Apparently the Dartmouth men's soccer team doesn't like to do anything the easy way. After getting their heads above water for the first time all season (five consecutive wins upped the team's record to 7-6-1), the men took a step back on Tuesday with a disappointing overtime loss to Maine. Now the Big Green finds itself right back in the same do-or-die situation where it's been for the last four weeks.
In the words of the Grateful Dead, the Big Green just keeps truckin' on. The men's soccer team (6-6-1) extended its winning streak to four and is now unbeaten in its last five games after a gritty 1-0 victory yesterday afternoon against Holy Cross (10-4-1). Dartmouth entered the game prepared for a dog-fight, and that's exactly what it got from a tough Holy Cross team that was nationally-ranked until the last few weeks. The Big Green benefited from the fact the Crusaders were playing on only one day's rest after a postponement pushed their game against Army back to Sunday. The Big Green, however, was battered in its own right and was forced to go at it without the services of co-captain Matt Miller '03. Miller sat out Tuesday's game with a knee injury, though the team was relieved to see X-ray results come back negative, making it likely that Miller will be back to anchor the midfield on Sunday. While Dartmouth controlled play for most of the first half, the team looked like it was having trouble adjusting to the field.
On a roll, the Dartmouth men's soccer team is heading south for a Saturday showdown with Columbia, and while the team may be getting itself into a New York state of mind, it's certain that revenge will be on the mind of the Big Green veterans when they take the field tomorrow afternoon. Two years ago, Dartmouth saw its hopes for an Ivy League title vanish when the Lions pulled off a shocking upset on their home turf. Now, the Big Green (4-6-1, 1-1-1 Ivy) and Lions (6-4-1, 1-1-1 Ivy) are tied for third, which makes tomorrow's match-up a crucial one.
The Dartmouth men's soccer team (2-6-1, 1-1-1 Ivy) is packing its bags and heading for the Midwest.
Wednesday afternoon Boston College showed the Dartmouth men's soccer team what can happen when you capitalize on early chances.
A lot has changed since the last time the Dartmouth men's soccer team stepped on to Chase Field. Two weeks ago, the Big Green was left with the bittersweet satisfaction of playing well against No.