Clashing Colors: Big Red Hosts Big Green
from press release
HANOVER, N.H. - The #9 Dartmouth women's lacrosse team
puts its unbeaten Ivy record on the line this Saturday when it
travels to Cornell for a 12 p.m. showdown with the Big Red.
Game 10: #9 Dartmouth (8-1, 3-0 Ivy) at Cornell (3-6, 2-2 Ivy)
Date: Saturday, April 10, 2010 * 12:00 PM
Location: Ithaca, N.Y. * Schoellkopf Field
Dartmouth - Cornell Series: Dartmouth leads, 25-5
Last Meeting: 4/4/09 * Hanover, N.H.
Result: Dartmouth 12 - Cornell 8
Streak: Dartmouth +1
Dartmouth won 10 straight from 1992-2001, then three straight
from
2003-05. The
Big Green has not won in Ithaca since 2004, with Cornell home wins
in
both 2006
and 2008.
FIVE MINUTES WITH COACH PATTON
Dartmouth is scoring goals at a fast clip of 14.22 per
game, with seven 15+ point scorers and seven 10+ goal scorers. When
asked about her team's offensive efficiency, with four players
shooting better than 50 percent and a team shooting percentage of
50.2, coach Patton went right to her defense.
"First and foremost, I have to give a lot of credit to our keepers,
Wadland and Chelsea Kirk (Hunt Valley, Md.), because they challenge
our shooters in practice every day and their styles are different,"
said Patton. "We did a lot of work this fall and in February on
shooting and that has been a payoff for us. Also, we're also a
patient team and we like to work for what we call a 'good look' and
I think you have a 50/50 chance then."
Dartmouth has played a grueling schedule in the last three weeks,
with the Siena game on April 6 marking the fifth game in a 14-day
stretch and the Cornell match-up makes it six games in 18 days.
It's part of life in Ivy lacrosse, which starts later than other
teams in the nation and Dartmouth must also take a break for final
exams in March. While not every game in the stretch has been
pretty, Dartmouth has consistently found a way to win, which
pleases, but doesn't surprise the coach.
"It's something you try to prepare them for all year, but thus far
they have been just gutting it out," said Patton. "We've had games
where we've been ahead but recently we've had to come from behind.
Their belief in their training and preparation this year has helped
them battle through."
"A lot of what is happening now we tried to prep them for in the
fall or February. Back then, it would be our sixth practice in a
row and we'd say we know you're tired and your legs hurt but this
is how it will be in March-April. It's been working and we can only
hope they continue to find a way to battle through it."
During the Big Green's current eight game winning streak, three of
its victims have been nationally ranked, including two wins on the
road against top-10 foes (#8 Notre Dame and #6 Syracuse) and a
recent win over #18 Boston University. Impressively, Dartmouth has
won its games against ranked teams by an average margin of +5.33
goals. Though that clearly says something about the Big Green this
season, Patton says her squad looks at much more than the W, the L
or the score to determine the success of an outing.
"We really don't look at the score as much after a game, as much as
the feeling of it. Did we stick to the game plan and did we
execute? It's pretty clear whether we did or didn't, regardless of
the score," said Patton. "Against BU, I don't think our defense
played very well and didn't execute well but our offense picked it
up. It had been the defense getting it done but in that game our
offense did."
Lastly, with 27 players on its roster, certainly not every player
is getting into every game, but the team effort has really been
evident. From the balance in goals to draw controls to caused
turnovers on the field to the boisterous cheering on the sideline.
Each player has a role and is contributing to the team dynamic.
"The energy and chemistry on this team is carrying us through the
toughest part of the schedule," said Patton. "It's not just the
players on the field but the team as a whole, as they start to feel
tired the energy they gain from those around them has been a
key."
COLOR WAR IN ITHACA
No. 9 Dartmouth looks to stay unbeaten in Ivy play this
Saturday at Cornell when the Big Green squares off against a Big
Red squad fresh off a huge win at Princeton last weekend. A win
would keep Dartmouth atop the Ivy League standings while a loss,
though not devastating, would make next Saturday's game against
Penn a must-win for the Green. While Dartmouth has a stronghold on
the all-time series against Cornell, the Big Red has won two out of
the last three meetings, both in Ithaca.
SAINTS SENT PACKING
MAAC contender Siena was no match for #9 Dartmouth in a
midweek tilt at Scully Fahey Field, as the Big Green took an 18-6
victory over the Saints. Dartmouth once again employed a balanced
attack, with eight players recording a point and seven scoring a
goal. Each player to score a goal also recorded at least one assist
to a teammate as well. Sarah Parks led the offense with six points
(3g, 3a) while Greta Meyer (4g, 1a) and Abigail Holden (2g, 3a)
each added five points to the cause. Dartmouth stormed out to an
early 5-0 lead and after letting the Saints get one on the board,
scored three more for an 8-1 advantage. The Big Green outscored
Siena 4-2 in the balance of the half for a 12-3 halftime lead.
Dartmouth got the running clock just 52 seconds into the second
half and extended its lead to 15-3 just six minutes in. Each team
ultimately got three more goals for the 18-6 final, in a game in
which 21 Dartmouth players saw action. Hilary Smith had a great day
off the bench, scoring four points (3g, 1a), grabbing six ground
balls and causing four turnovers.
DARTMOUTH STAYS PERFECT IN IVIES
The ninth ranked Big Green took a 9-7 victory over Brown
this past Saturday to move to 3-0 in Ivy League play, its seventh
straight win overall. It was not Dartmouth's sharpest outing of the
season, held below 10-goals for just the second time this season.
The first half was back-and-forth, starting with a 1-0 Dartmouth
lead before Brown took a 2-1 advantage. The Big Green answered
right back with two to go up 3-2, but Brown got two in a row to
take a 4-3 lead before Dartmouth's Greta Meyer tied it going into
the half. Dartmouth's second-half effort was sound, going on a 5-0
run to lead 9-4 with 8:39 to play, with two goals each
from Sarah Parks and Sarah Plumb. The Bears did close with three
goals in the last six minutes but it would not be enough to
overcome the Big Green.
STAYING IN THE TOP-TEN
Dartmouth remained at ninth in the IWLCA Coaches poll
this week after jumping seven spots on March 29. This is the first
top-10 ranking for the Big Green since early in the 2007 campaign.
Inside Lacrosse looks even more favorably on the Big Green, putting
it at seventh after sitting anywhere from 11th to 14th during the
month of March. Six Dartmouth opponents are currently in the IWLCA
Top-20 with three in the top 10. Five are ranked by Inside Lacrosse
and a sixth, BU, is receiving votes.
A LOOK AT CORNELL
Cornell (3-6, 2-2 Ivy) got a new lease on life last
Saturday when it defeated Princeton, 11-8, for its first win over
the Tigers in 22 years. One must look beyond the record for the Big
Red's true story, as it has played a slate that ranks 12th in the
nation for strength of schedule. Cornell has won close games, with
its three victories coming by one, two and three goals each.
Today's game marks the third straight ranked opponent for Cornell,
which lost to No. 6 Penn, 15-6 on March 28 and the win over #17
Princeton. Jessi Steinberg is the go-to gal for coach Jenny Graap,
leading the Big Red with 26 points on 24 goals and two assists.
Libby Johnson is the Big Red's other 20-point scorer with 11 goals
and nine assists. Three different keepers have seen action for
Cornell, though Kristen Reese (218 minutes) and Kyla Dambach (312
minutes) are the main two. Dambach will likely get the nod against
Dartmouth after her 12-save win over Princeton. She sports a 9.40
goals against average and .467 save percentage, which gives her the
edge on Reese's .308 save percentage and similar 9.87 GAA.
HOMECOMING FOR FARRELL
Dartmouth first-year assistant coach Courtney Farrell, is
a 2008 graduate of Cornell and will be returning to the Big Red
wearing Dartmouth Green. Farrell was one of the finest ever to play
for Cornell, leading her team to an Ivy title in 2006 and earning
first team All-Ivy and All-Northeast honors three times. She was an
All-America selection as a senior in 2008.
WATCH OUT FOR SNIPERS
As a team, Dartmouth shoots an impressive .502 percent,
but Sarah Parks and Greta Meyer stand out from the crowd with some
staggering numbers. Parks has been absolutely
deadly in front of the goal this spring, scoring 22 goals on just
25 shots for a sizzling 88.0 shooting percentage, which leads the
nation. Since the Boston University game, Parks has not missed when
shooting, scoring 11 straight on 11 shots. Even more impressively,
just two of her goals have come off free position shots, with three
attempts total. Meyer is hot in her own right, shooting 67.6
percent, which ranks second in the nation only behind Parks'
ridiculous numbers. Meyer has scored 25 goals on 37 shots and is
almost automatic on a free
position, converting 6-of-7 eight meters.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Dartmouth routinely has seven to eight players recording a
point in games, and the team's unselfishness was truly evident
against Siena on April 6, with 15 assists on 18 goals. Dartmouth
has scored 128 goals this season, 27 off of free positions. Of the
101 goals scored during the course of game play, Dartmouth has
assisted on 66 of those, or 65 percent of goals coming
assisted.
... AND KEEPING OPPONENTS FROM DOING SO
Conversely, the Big Green defense has allowed opponents to
assist on just 22 of their 58 goals, or 38 percent. Dartmouth's
last two opponents, Brown and Siena, scored seven and six goals,
respectively, without a single assist. Even No. 18 Boston
University had just three assists on its 10 goals. Dartmouth's
defenders are forcing opponents to go one-on-one with Julie
Wadland, who has a 50 percent average chance of making a save.
THE ELITE BETWEEN THE PIPES
Senior Julie Wadland has positioned herself in a great
line of Dartmouth goalies, becoming just the third Big Green keeper
to play more than 3,000 minutes for her career and ranking third
all-time in career saves with 409. Dartmouth has not missed a beat
since 1999 when Sarah Hughes '02 began a career that led to a
school record 550 saves in 62 outings, playing 3,339 minutes. When
she graduated, Devon Wills '06 took over the reins and started all
but one of her 70 games played from 2003-06, logging 4,176 minutes
and making 538 saves, second all-time. Upon the graduation of
Wills, Wadland was right there and became the Green's everyday
starter midway through her freshman year. Wadland has followed in
the footsteps of Hughes and Wills as a first team All-Ivy keeper
and member of the US
Developmental team -- Wills led the US Elite to the 2010 World Cup
title. Currently among the nation's leaders for goals against
average, Wadland looks to join them in the ranks of Dartmouth's
All-America goalies this season.
QUICK ON THE DRAW
While sophomore Sarah Plumb primarily takes the draw for
Dartmouth, any number of her teammates are likely to come up with
the draw control. The Big Green has won 119 draws to its opponents
84 and seven different Dartmouth players have hauled in at least 10
draws. Senior defender Colleen Olsen and sophomore midfielder
Hilary Smith each have 22 draws, followed by 17 for Plumb.
