Dartmouth Women's Lacrosse Falls to Wildcats in NCAA Championship, 7-4

Sunday, May 28

Boston, Mass.

Dartmouth College

Northwestern

Dartmouth Women's Lacrosse Falls to Wildcats in NCAA Championship, 7-4

5/27/2006 8:00:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

By: Dartmouth

May 28, 2006

Box Score | Photo Gallery

BOSTON, Mass. - So close.

Bidding for the first NCAA women's championship in school history and just Dartmouth's fifth NCAA title of any kind, the Big Green women's lacrosse team carried a 4-3 lead into the final 23 minutes of yesterday's game against defending champion Northwestern only to drop a hard-fought 7-4 decision.

Dartmouth, which was making its first-ever NCAA championship appearance, saw the season end with a 14-6 record. Northwestern improved to 20-1 by scoring the day's last four goals in front of a tournament record crowd of 5,684 at Boston University's Nickerson Field.

"I'm just so proud of this team," an emotional Dartmouth coach Amy Patton said after the contest. "Because in all the years I've coached this team had to battle harder than any team I've seen at Dartmouth. ... As we walked off that field the thing you saw is those kids gave it their best effort. It wasn't good enough but they fought to the bitter end.

"I mean, we were in 'chase' the last 15 minutes of that game and our kids were pretty darn tired still from (Friday's semifinal win over Notre Dame). I think that shows what these kids are made out of. They are a tough team. A gritty team. Today wasn't our best day but it was the best effort we could give."

Kristen Barry, Casey Hazel, Jen Pittman and Sarah Szefi scored for Dartmouth, which held Northwestern to a season-low two first-half goals in a stout defensive effort but had trouble shaking free at the other end of the field.

"The glaring thing that stands out to me is we took 10 shots," said Patton. "You can't win a national championship only taking 10 shots. To me, if there's anything that stood out to hurt us, it was our turnovers at critical times. I think our defense was stellar. It was the best defense I've seen all year."

Although Northwestern nearly drew first blood when it clanked a shot off the crossbar in the first minute it was Dartmouth taking the early lead as Barry scored off a Whitney Douthett feed at 7:44 of the opening half on the Ivy Leaguer's first rush up the field.

The Wildcats evened the game at 10:58 when Lindsey Munday scored in close on a set play from behind the net.

Northwestern moved in front for the first time at 15:20 as Aly Josephs scored through the five-hole from close range.

After the Wildcats hit another of the five posts they would hit in the first half, Barry missed an open-net try for the Big Green and Hazel promptly picked up the slack, circling around the right side of the net and scoring under keeper Morgan Lathrop to tie it at 2-2 with 8:31 left in the half.

Pittman sent Dartmouth to the locker room with a one-goal lead when she looped around the right side and scored inside with 5:09 remaining.

Although the Big Green had been 12-0 at the half before yesterday, Northwestern coach Kelly Amonte Miller was confident after seeing her team build a 15-6 advantage in shots.

"It was a little bit frustrating," she said of the opening 30 minutes. "It wasn't just the posts. I don't think it was our best (half) offensively. We ... just weren't really ourselves. Going into halftime we said, 'Hey, we just have to settle down. We are getting the shooting opportunites. That's always a good sign. ... Let's settle down and really focus in.'"

They did that in the second 30 minutes, erasing the Big Green lead on a wraparound goal by Sarah Albrecht goal 1:47 in.

Szefi answered for Dartmouth 5:11 into the half to make it 4-3 -- but that would be the high point the rest of the way for Dartmouth, which would not score again.

"Our strategy going into this game was exactly the opposite of what it was (in the semifinal) against Duke," said Amonte Miller. "Against Duke we played a little bit back and packed it in. We knew how explosive (Dartmouth) is offensively so we wanted to go out there and pressure them as much as we could. We stayed in our high-pressure, double them defense the whole game."

After Albrecht tied the score when she converted on a full-field rush with 12:06 left, the Wildcats took the lead for good on a fluke goal that might have taken the air out of the Big Green sails.

The tally came when Josephs made what she later admitted was a lazy pass in front of the goal. Caught off-balance by lacrosse's version of a knuckleball, Dartmouth goalie Devon Wills watched in horror as the ball trickled behind her.

"That was just a fluke. I wish I could have had it back," the All-American keeper said. "... That could have been a momentum shifter." Josephs added a pair of goals at 13:09 and against at 28:37 to close out the scoring.

"I am so proud of our team," said senior Dartmouth tri-captain Kristen Zimmer. "It's tough. Today wasn't our day but we did fight. We are a team of fighters and we've had to fight all season. ... (W)e can't forget that we had a great year."

Patton certainly won't forget the season - or her seniors -- when the Big Green resumes the quest for the elusive national title next year.

"We always give credit to our alums," she said. "We always talk about those that come before you. They are always part of the program. These guys are leaving their legacy behind; there's no question. They've gone to two Elite Eights and two Final Fours. They definitely are a class that has elevated this program on a consistent basis."