Boxscore

Hanover, N.H. - A late first half goal and a dominant second half performance helped the Dartmouth women's soccer team remain in the Ivy race with a 2-0 win over Columbia today.

After a tightly played first half, Dartmouth absolutely dominated Columbia in the second, outshooting the Lions, 11-1, in the period. Overall, the Big Green wound up with a 17-5 shot advantage, putting eight attempts on goal.

Senior back Thea Sutton (San Rafael, Calif.) made her first collegiate goal a memorable one on homecoming as her first-half tally proved the game-winner today. Sophomore goalie Colleen Hogan (Houston, Texas) turned in one of her best performances of the season, making four saves while controlling play in the box and long crosses.

The Big Green moves to 8-6 overall and 3-2 in Ivy play while Columbia drops to 6-6-3, 2-2-1 Ivy. With three wins, Dartmouth has nine points to sit third in the Ivy standings. Yale and Harvard are tied for first at 4-1 with 12 points each. The Big Green can impact the standings directly next weekend at Harvard while it needs Yale to lose a game still.

Columbia actually set the tone early in the game, getting three good looks in the first 20 minutes including a corner kick in just the first minute of play that senior Myra Sack (Wynnewood, Pa.) headed away. Ashley Mistele forced Hogan to make her first save of the game in the 11^th minute from close range off the rebound from a Columbia free kick. In the 17^th minute, Columbia's Kelly Hostetler sent a free kick into the box from about 25 yards out. The wind picked up the ball, forcing Hogan to leap for a great save.

Senior Becky Poskin (Leawood, Kan.) nearly had the first goal of the game in the 27^th minute when she fired from the right side and the ball went over Columbia keeper Lillian Klein's head. Klein got a finger on the ball but it landed behind her, but was just shy of the goal line.

The teams battled back and forth in midfield until the 40^th minute when Dartmouth earned a corner kick. Senior Kelsey Quick (Bernardsville, N.J.) sent the ball into the box and after a bit of a scramble, Sutton came up with it and fired at point blank range to beat Klein and put Dartmouth ahead 1-0. While it was the first career goal for the senior defender, it was Quick's team-leading fourth assist of the season.

Columbia played with a frantic urgency as the half wound down and nearly got the equalizer in the 42^nd minute. Sophie Reiser stepped in to take a free kick centered just outside the box and had her shot blocked by the Dartmouth wall. It ricocheted back to Meggie Ford at near midfield and she sent a long shot in but Hogan jumped to snag the ball and preserve the 1-0 lead heading into the half.

The second half was all Dartmouth, with the Big Green dominating play and holding the Lions without a shot attempt until the 89^th minute.

Dartmouth fired at will on Klein including a four-minute stretch starting in the 59^th minute when she had to make saves against Melisa Krjnaic (Washington, D.C.), Ally Dutton (Granite Bay, Calif.) and Quick in rapid succession.

In the 65^th minute, Quick made a great run to beat the defense down the left side off a feed from Aly O'Dea (Irvine, Calif.). She fired what looked to be a sure goal but Klein made a great save. Sack was in position for a perfect rebound goal but was pushed off the ball by her defender. Klein made another fingertip save in the 68^th minute when O'Dea sent a rocket in from the right side.

That resulted in the first of three consecutive corner kicks for Dartmouth and the Big Green broke through on the third. Krjnaic sent the ball in from the right side and O'Dea was in perfect position at the near post to jump and easily pop in a header for a 2-0 Dartmouth lead in the 71^st minute. It was O'Dea's team-leading sixth goal of the season.

With Dartmouth ahead 2-0, the Lions pressed but the defense came up with some big stops including a good clearance by Krnjaic in the 77^th and a sliding play by Hogan to get the ball in the box after Sutton was taken down in the 79^th. Sack and Ali Hubbard (Marshfield, Mass.) had consecutive shots blocked in the 83^rd as they tried to pad the Dartmouth lead.

The Lions finally got their first shot of the half in the 89^th minute when Reiser shot from the top of the box but it was right at Hogan who held on for the shutout win.

The Dartmouth women are back in action this coming Saturday, Oct. 31 when they travel to Ivy rival Harvard for a critical showdown at 11 a.m. in Cambridge.