Field Hockey Upsets No. 19 Princeton, 2-1

Saturday, September 17

Hanover, N.H.

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

PRINCETON

9/17/2011 3:15:00 PM | Field Hockey

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. - Two streaks came to an end Saturday afternoon at Chase AstroTurf Field as Dartmouth knocked off No. 19 Princeton, 2-1, in the Ivy League opener for both teams. It marked the end of the Tigers' (2-3, 0-1 Ivy) 24-game winning streak against conference opponents and the first win for the Big Green (3-2, 1-0 Ivy) in the series since the 2004 season.

Senior Kelly Hood (Berlin, N.H.) scored both Dartmouth goals in the game on penalty corners with freshman Janine Leger (Johannesburg, South Africa) and junior Lisa Masini (Ann Arbor, Mich.) picking up assists on both.

Prior to Saturday's defeat, Princeton had not lost an Ivy League game since falling to Cornell, 4-3, on Sept. 29, 2007.

It was a scoreless game for most of the first half, despite the Big Green dominating possession and dictating much of the play. Hood gave her team the 1-0 lead with 3:40 showing on the clock. That marker was much more than just the opening goal of the contest, as it was the 114th point in the senior's career, breaking the program record previously held by Lauren Welsh '02.

It was just last week that Hood scored her 47th career goal to pass Welsh as the all-time leading goal scorer in Dartmouth history. Now, she owns both major scoring records with Saturday's marker.

The second half played out much like the first, but this time with Princeton on the attack. The No. 19-ranked Tigers took their cue from the home team's play in the first to dictate play in the second.

Sydney Kirby evened the score at 1-1 just over 15 minutes into the half, deflecting Amanda Bird's shot on a penalty corner over Dartmouth's senior goalkeeper Meagan Vakiener (Port Murray, N.J.) and into the back of the goal.

That 1-1 score didn't hold up long as Hood's second of the game just over four minutes later proved to be the eventual winner. A penalty corner shot again found its way through the crowd of Princeton defenders in front and past goalkeeper Christina Maida.

That goal was another milestone for the senior from Berlin, N.H., as she became the first player in Big Green history to score 50 career goals.

A late surge from the Tigers looked as if it might have enough momentum to tie the game and force overtime, but for every Princeton attack, the Dartmouth defense stood its ground and turned aside the chances.

The Tigers held considerable advantages in both corners (7-2) and shots (15-2) in the second half, but the play of the Big Green in the circle was the difference as they ran out the clock on Princeton's nearly four-year unbeaten run in the Ivy League.

Vakiener and the entire Dartmouth defense played at another level in the second half to secure the 'W' on this day. Vakiener stopped seven shots in the game, including five in the second half alone, while only allowing the one goal. The defense helped out their keeper, clearing several balls from trouble deep in the defensive zone.

It will be a short turnaround for the Big Green as they take on Bryant Sunday at 3 p.m. at Chase Field in a nonconference matchup.