Dartmouth Women Win First Place Battle, 1-0 Over Yale

Sunday, October 8

Hanover, N.H.

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Yale

Women?s Soccer Drops 3-1 Decision at Duke

Dartmouth Women Win First Place Battle, 1-0 Over Yale

10/8/2006 12:30:00 AM | Women's Soccer

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

Hanover, N.H. – Dartmouth junior defender Annie Stanley (Winnetka, Ill.) scored her first career goal, the game-winner, in the women's soccer team's 1-0 defeat of Yale today. With the win, the Big Green improves to 7-3-1 (3-0 Ivy), taking sole possession of first place while Yale is now 6-5-1 (2-1 Ivy).

"This was a big win for us, we were very solid from back to front. We tried not to put pressure on the players, but I know that they were desperate to win after losing (to Yale) late last season," noted Head Coach Angie Hind.

Dartmouth came out on fire in the first half, dominating play and out-shooting Yale 11-5. The Big Green held possession for much of the half, minimizing the Bulldogs' offensive opportunities. Junior goalkeeper Amanda Webb (Danvers, Mass.) made a big stop in the 25th minute, snagging the rebound after she misplayed a ball at the top of the penalty box.

The Big Green's consistent offensive pressure finally paid off at 43:30, when Dartmouth took a critical corner kick. Senior Megan Wijas (Southborough, Mass.) took the corner, tapping the ball to rookie Myra Sack ( Wynnewood, Pa.) who passed it back to Wijas. Wijas then placed a nice cross for Stanley, who fired a rocket from close-range for the goal.

"I saw that the ball was a little short, so I slowed down my approach and just put everything I had behind it," said Stanley, describing her game-winner. Stanley is now the second Dartmouth defender to score her first career goal to win an Ivy League game this season. Senior Whitney Douthett (Newtown, Pa.) tallied her first goal in the 1-0 win over Brown.

Dartmouth took a 1-0 lead into halftime and carried that momentum over early into the second half. It was not long, however, before Yale caught fire and made it a competitive contest. The Bulldogs held a 10-5 shot advantage in the second, but Webb was spectacular, recording seven of her 10 saves in the half.

Yale had a big chance to score with a free kick in the 68th minute. Natasha Mann sent the ball into the penalty area, but Douthett blocked the shot. Yale's Crysti Howser headed the rebound towards the goal, but Webb made a nice save to preserve the shutout.

Both squads battled in midfield for much of the second half. Dartmouth had a good scoring opportunity with three minutes remaining, as senior Emily Tracy (Belfair, Wash.) took two one-on-one shots at Yale goalkeeper Susan Starr, who turned away both.

The Big Green held on to win, earning Webb her 12th career shutout, good for fourth place all-time.

"I wanted to make sure we took something from his other than just the win," said Hind. "I think we are continuing to get better and I really appreciate our depth and the play of our bench. If I talk about one kid's performance, I have to mention four or five others. This was another great team win."

The Big Green hosts #12 Boston University on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.