Last-Second Defensive Stand Helps Dartmouth Defeat Dolphins

Wednesday, March 21

Jacksonville, Fla.

4:00 PM

Dartmouth College

Jacksonville

Last-Second Defensive Stand Helps Dartmouth Defeat Dolphins

3/21/2018 7:13:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse

Box Score Kathryn Giroux Elizabeth Mastrio Kierra Sweeney Kiera Vrindten Ellie Carson Katie Bourque Tori Chanenchuk Sophia Turchetta PDF Box Score Box Score - Dartmouth 17, JU 16

By: Dartmouth

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Wednesday's game between the Dartmouth women's lacrosse team and Jacksonville came down to the final possession.

Fortunately for the visiting Big Green (5-1), they were the ones to make the defensive stop and thwart the Dolphins' (5-3) last-second bid to tie the game.

An intercepted pass by Katie Bourque inside the 8-meter arc denied the home team an opportunity to force overtime giving Dartmouth the thrilling 17-16 victory in the first-ever meeting between the two programs.

The result pushed the visitors' win streak to five games.

The Big Green's 13-9 lead midway through the second half was erased by a six-goal run from Jacksonville to go up a pair. Dartmouth fought back to tie the game, only to see the Dolphins regain the lead a little more than a minute later.

However, Tori Chanenchuk once again pulled the teams even with 1:24 remaining with her third score of the game, while Ellie Carson's fourth of the afternoon followed with just 44 seconds left on the clock with what proved to be the game winner.

A crucial defensive stand that had eluded the Green and White earlier in the half finally came through at the most critical point of the game and allowed Dartmouth to escape the Sunshine State with a win for the first time since beating James Madison, 18-5, in Wellington, Florida, on Mar. 18, 2006.

After the final score, the biggest story of the game was junior Kathryn Giroux and her 19 draw controls, breaking the Ivy League single-game record of 15 and her own Dartmouth mark of 13. It is also the most by any player in the nation this season by three and ranks as the eighth-best single-game mark in the history of NCAA women's lacrosse.

It wasn't just a single-game record that fell on Wednesday. Giroux also set the Dartmouth record for career draws, moving past Sarah Plumb '12 and her 155 over four years (2009-12). In just the early stages of her third season, Giroux now has 171 career draws with 154 of those coming since just the start of last season.

Giroux's efforts on the draw Wednesday would rank as the second-best figure for the entirety of the season so far.

Though the game came down to a defensive stop, offensive firepower by both teams was the defining characteristic of the day. In all, two players from both sides recorded six or more points with Ashtyn Hiron's seven leading the way on six goals and one assist.

For Dartmouth, Chanenchuk had a career day with three goals and three helpers for six points, matched only by Carson's six points on four goals and a pair of assists.

Elizabeth Mastrio also had four goals for the Green and White and was joined by Sophia Turchetta (2-2-4) as the two other Big Green players with four points in the contest. Katie Bourque (1-2-3) and Kierra Sweeney (2-0-2) gave Dartmouth six players with multiple-point games in the win.

Sophomore goalkeeper Kiera Vrindten made nine saves for the Big Green, while Kris Brunoforte stopped nine and allowed 13 before giving way to Emily Poelma who stopped two and allowed four in just under 20 minutes of action to be saddled with the loss in the Dolphin circle.

Dartmouth held a slight 36-35 edge in shot attempts, while JU had the 20-19 advantage in ground balls. The only real discrepancy between the two teams was the Green's 28-7 dominance in draw controls led by Giroux's historic performance.

The Big Green continue their four-game road trip Saturday with a 1 p.m. contest at No. 16 Princeton. That game will be seen live on the Ivy League Network.