Field Hockey Sweeps Weekend to Capture 2011 Big Green Classic

Sunday, September 4

Hanover, N.H.

12:00 PM

Dartmouth College

LONGWOOD

Field Hockey Sweeps Weekend to Capture 2011 Big Green Classic

9/4/2011 3:31:00 PM | Field Hockey

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. - Three second-half goals were the difference for the Dartmouth field hockey team Sunday afternoon in a 4-1 victory over Longwood (2-2) to take the 2011 Big Green Classic. Four different payers scored for the Big Green (2-0), who claimed the title at home at Chase AstroTurf Field with Sunday's win and a 5-0 victory Friday against Sacred Heart to open the season.

Senior captain Kelly Hood (Berlin, N.H.) scored her third goal of the season midway through the second half, tying the program's all-time goal-scoring record with 47 in her career.

Freshman Janine Leger (Johannesburg, South Africa) opened the goal scoring just six and a half minutes into the game with the first marker of her career. A penalty corner created the opportunity for the first-year player as a pass from junior Liz Blanken (Short Hills, N.J.) down low set up Leger for the goal.

Despite continued pressure from the Big Green at the offensive end of the field, Longwood tied the game on a Jessica Diaz tally 13:14 into the opening half.

The score would remain notched at one apiece until senior Meghan Everett (Flemington, N.J.) broke the tie with the eventual game winner 12 and a half minutes into the second stanza. Everett jumped on a loose-ball chance in the lower part of the circle and buried it for the 2-1 lead.

Hood made it a two-goal game with just over 10 minutes remaining on a penalty corner. Junior Lisa Masini (Ann Arbor, Mich.) collected her second assist of the day and her fourth of the weekend on Hood's record-tying goal after having also earned an assist on Everett's tally.

Junior Samantha McPherson (Ventura, Calif.) capped the scoring with the final goal of the contest. Sophomore Maggie Scanlon (Shaker Heights, Ohio) rolled out from the left side of the net and put a crossing pass across the goalmouth to the outstretched stick of McPherson at the right post with roughly six minutes showing on the clock to make it a 4-1 game.

After posting a shutout in the season opener against Sacred Heart, senior goalkeeper Meagan Vakiener (Port Murray, N.J.) turned aside three shots Sunday against the Lancers. For the weekend, the senior stopped nine shots and allowed just one goal. Her counterpart, Longwood's Kaye Goulding, stopped four Big Green shots Sunday.

Like Friday's performance, Dartmouth controlled much of the play on Sunday, outshooting Longwood, 17-9, including 10-2 in the first half.

Having captured the 2011 Big Green Classic, Dartmouth will now face its first road test of the season on Wednesday afternoon when its travels to Orono, Maine, to take on the Black Bears at 3 p.m.