Poskin's OT Goal Sends Dartmouth Past Previously Unbeaten Maine, 2-1

Thursday, September 18

Orono, Maine

3:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Maine

Poskin's OT Goal Sends Dartmouth Past Previously Unbeaten Maine, 2-1

9/18/2008 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

ORONO, Maine. - Nearly two years since the last time she scored a goal, Dartmouth senior Becky Poskin (Leawood, Kan.) made her comeback official when she hammered the game-winner with 51 seconds left in double-overtime today at Maine.

The senior co-captain missed nearly all of last season with a knee injury and despite starting all four games so far this season, was without a goal until today. She saved it for the most timely of situations as the Big Green (2-2) was less than a minute from settling for a double-overtime tie with the then unbeaten Black Bears (2-1-4). Junior Myra Sack (Wynnewood, Pa.) broke through the defense and got the ball to Poskin who fired from 25 yards out, beating Maine keeper Jasmine Phillips to the right.

The two teams played a fairly evenly-matched first half, with each taking five shots during the period. “It was a frustrating first half,” said head coach Angie Hind. “We had possession but couldn't get anything decisive inside the goal area.

Maine, which has now played to overtime in six of its seven games, got on the board first when Hailey Blackburn headed the ball in off a pass from Carolyne Nellis at 37:54. The play was started by a corner kick from Cristina Di Ielsi.

Dartmouth quickly gathered itself and continued to attack the Maine defense. It paid off just before the half when corner specialist Melisa Krnjaic (Washington, D.C.) sent in a ball that went through the crowded box and into the Black Bears goal at 44:37.

The Big Green carried all the momentum from its late-first half goal into the second period in which it dominated the Bears. Dartmouth held Maine completely in check, holding an 8-0 advantage in shots, but could not find the back of the net. The 1-1 stalement went into overtime during which the Big Green also held control. Senior goalkeeper Laurel Peak (Redding, Conn.) made her only save of the game at an opportune time, stonewalling a shot by Maine's Christine LaBelle in the 94th minute.

The teams battled through to a second overtime period and just when it seemed they were destined for a tie, Sack artfully split the defense before getting the ball to Poskin for the game-winning strike at 109:09.

Seven Big Green players logged all 109 minutes in the game including Peak, Sack, Krnjaic, Katie Davis (San Marino, Calif.), Emily Forline (Bethesda, Md.), Ali Hubbard (Marshfield, Mass.) and Whitney Odden (Bozeman, Mont.).

Rookie Aly O'Dea (Irvine, Calif.) saw significant playing time off the bench for the second-straight game and led Dartmouth with four shots, two on goal while junior Thea Sutton (San Rafael, Calif.) gave the defense a lift off the bench in 79 minutes of work.

Dartmouth is back in action on Sunday when it returns home to Burnham Field to hosts Oregon State at 11:00 a.m.