Women's Soccer Falls to Dartmouth, Loses First Ivy Matchup Since 2012

The whistle blew in the Harvard-Dartmouth women’s soccer game and Big Green players immediately began jumping, embracing, and swarming in from the sidelines. It looked like Dartmouth had just won the Ivy League Championship. They hadn't.

But they had ended the Crimson’s unbeaten Ivy streak, which stretched back to the last time Harvard traveled to Hanover, N.H., to face the Big Green. The Crimson fell by the same score on that day in 2012, 2-0.

Despite the loss, Harvard (9-4-2, 4-1-1 Ivy) still clings to a one-point lead over Dartmouth (7-4-4, 3-0-3 Ivy) in the Ivy League standings. The Crimson return home next weekend for its final contest against fourth-place Columbia with its second consecutive Ivy title on the line.

“We were aware of how long it had been since we’d lost an Ivy League game and...it put a lot of unnecessary pressure on us,” co-captain Marie Margolius said. “Rather than being disappointed about the loss, we’re trying to take this as a positive and a weight off our shoulders. It’s good for us to have this experience behind us.”

Harvard showed offensive momentum early in the game, taking three shots in the first 16 minutes.

But the Big Green struck first. Crimson senior goalkeeper Cheta Emba charged out of the net to interrupt Dartmouth’s drive, but junior forward Corey Delaney got an extra touch on the ball and maneuvered around Emba to set up an open-net goal and a 1-0 lead for the Big Green.

“In these Ivy League games, you are always trying to get that first one because it changes the complexion of the game and what the other team has to do,” Harvard coach Ray Leone said. “So scoring first, they were able to get a lot of numbers behind the ball, and it made it more difficult for us to get through them.”

The Crimson was in position for an equalizer six minutes later. A series of crisp passes and a strong cross into the box set up senior defender Erika Garcia, but her shot sailed just over the crossbar.

With less than fifteen minutes left in the half, Harvard and Dartmouth exchanged a pair of shots and saves.

Although the Crimson outshot the Big Green, 7-4, in the first half, Dartmouth put all four of its shots on goal, while Harvard managed just two on target.

The Big Green came out fighting in the second half. After squandering an opportunity with a loose ball in the box on its first drive of the half, Dartmouth maintained its offensive pressure. Less than five minutes into the half, Delaney sped past the Crimson defense and powered a shot to the far right post outside of Emba’s reach to score her second goal of the game.

With just over 18 minutes left in the half, Delaney took a shot identical to to her second goal. But this time, a diving Emba managed to get her outstretched fingertips on it and deflect it out of bounds.

Although Harvard remained within striking distance and started playing with a sense of urgency down the stretch, the Crimson could not find the back of the net. Harvard struggled to keep its shots on target, and the Big Green’s senior goalkeeper Tatiana Saunders, a first team All-Ivy selection in 2013, easily handled the three Crimson shots on net.

Dartmouth’s defense has dominated the Ivy League, surrendering just three goals in conference play this season.

Part of that defensive success has resulted from the Big Green’s aggressive style of play. Dartmouth fouled Harvard nine times in the game, while the Crimson did not foul once.

“I think the number of fouls often reflect a teams’ defending tendencies,” Margolius said. “We were solid in our individual defending all over the field so we never needed to foul them. We also put them under a lot of stress in the final third of the field, forcing them to foul us in dangerous areas.”

—Staff writer Eileen Storey can be reached at eileen.storey@thecrimson.com.