Defensive Effort at Columbia Helps Fowler to 150th Career Win

Friday, October 19

New York, N.Y.

2:00 PM

Dartmouth College

(5-8, 2-3)

Columbia

(7-6, 2-3)

Team	1	2	Final F
Dartmouth	1	1	2
Columbia	0	1	1

Defensive Effort at Columbia Helps Fowler to 150th Career Win

10/19/2018 4:11:00 PM | Field Hockey

Box Score

Valerio's late stop, Valvano's first career goa and Fowler's 150th win highlight thriller in NYC.

By: Pat Salvas

NEW YORK – In a thrilling game that needed three defensive stops and a thwarted penalty stroke bid in the final three minutes, the Dartmouth field hockey team came away from Friday's Ivy League road tilt at Columbia with a 2-1 win.

It was a special win not only for the Big Green (5-8, 2-3 Ivy), but for their head coach Amy Fowler who earned the 150th victory of her career, all coming on the Dartmouth sidelines. Already the program's all-time winningest head coach, Fowler finally reached the milestone win after four missed opportunities in the last two weeks.

But what a way to do it.

Leading 2-0 late in the second half, Columbia cut the deficit to just one thanks to a Danielle Buttinger goal in the 64th minute. That might've been the equalizer had the Lions' (7-6, 2-3 Ivy) apparent goal in the 51st minute from the stick of Kelsey Farkas not been called back.

Senior goalkeeper Hailey Valerio then made a save on a Brooke Gasser's penalty stroke bid with just 2:50 to keep her team in the lead. Two more quality defensive stops by the entire backend unit preserved the one-goal advantage as time ticked down to zeroes.

"I'm very happy our kids came out strong in the first half. We scored first, which was a goal we had set for ourselves, and never looked back," Fowler said. "Columbia put a lot of pressure on us late in the second, but our defense held strong, including Hailey's save on the penalty stroke Columbia was awarded."

Senior captain Jessica Valvano picked the perfect time to score her first career goal as she gave the Green and White a 1-0 lead in the eighth minute. Taylor Hantman and Carmen Braceras picked up the helpers on the goal from the corner play.

No other offense managed to dent the scoresheet on either side until the 44th minute when Tatum Schultz knocked in a rebound off the Columbia keeper and into the back of the cage.

After that, though, the Lions turned up the pressure in search of any scoring that might get them back into the game. Unfortunately for them, they ran into a Dartmouth team and defensive group determined to keep scoring chances at bay.

Valerio finished with five saves and was aided by a Sara Falkson defensive save as well. Columbia goalie Katie Dempsey turned aside two shots, while allowing the two goals.

Friday's win was the first at Columbia since a 5-2 game back in the 2012 season.

"Reaching this milestone victory is very special, especially achieving it as part of the DFH family. It's a great honor. The wins are really the players, though," Fowler remarked. "This year's squad has worked so hard, and when they execute a game plan, they can make amazing things happen. We are going to stay focused on the next match, and the chance to compete again on Sunday against UMass Lowell."

Fowler and her team return to action Sunday afternoon at UMass Lowell. The final home game and Senior Day is next Saturday (Oct. 27) against Harvard as part of Homecoming Weekend festivities.

Thanks to a thrilling 2-1 win at Columbia today, @DartmouthFH head coach Amy Fowler earned her 150th career victory on the Big Green sidelines. pic.twitter.com/70bHnMfoNs
— Dartmouth Athletics (@dartmouthsports) October 19, 2018