Season Preview: Big Green Bring Balanced Attack Into 2019

Photo by: Doug Austin

Season Preview: Big Green Bring Balanced Attack Into 2019

8/26/2019 3:17:00 PM | Women's Soccer

2019 Schedule 2019 Roster Women's Soccer Preseason Poll

Dartmouth is ready to reach lofty goals this season

By: Mike Miezejeski

HANOVER, N.H. – Dartmouth women's soccer kicks off its 40th varsity season on Friday in Hanover against Pittsburgh. Last year, the Big Green finished in the top three of the Ivy League standings for the first time since 2014 with a 4-2-1 league record. The team looks to build off that success in 2019 behind sixth-year head coach Ron Rainey.

Joining Rainey and Nicole Ragano on the coaching staff this season is former Penn State standout Taylor Schram, who most recently was an assistant at Florida Gulf Coast. Prior to FGCU, Schram was on the staff at both Binghamton and West Virginia.

Rainey: "We are excited to start training for 2019. The beginning of the season is awesome with making new connections, forming a team and creating high standards. We have a group that is full of enthusiasm and we want to make sure that we give them a solid base and foundation both on and off the field to make this an unforgettable season. Our expectations are simple: Come out, work hard every day, invest in each other and reach lofty goals."

2018 RECAP
Along with their third-place finish in the 2018 Ivy League standings, the Big Green reached the double-digit win mark for the first time since 2012, proving that Dartmouth is on the right track to become one of the top teams in the conference.

Dartmouth was especially tough to beat on Burnham Field with a 6-2-1 record. The Big Green captured home Ivy victories against Brown, Yale and Harvard. Perhaps its most impressive performance of the year came in a scoreless draw on the road against conference favorite Princeton.

THE RETURNERS
Dartmouth brings back a wealth of experience including four All-Ivy selections from a season ago. They are junior defender Bonnie Shea (First Team), senior defender Alyssa Neuberger (Honorable Mention), junior midfielder Erin Kawakami (Honorable Mention), and junior goalkeeper Mariel Gordon (Honorable Mention).

The Big Green return seven seniors, six juniors and seven sophomores. Out of the 20 returners, nine of them scored a goal in 2018 and 13 players recorded a point. Sophomore Izzy Glennon finished second on the team with four goals and three assists, while sophomore Tracey Mills is also coming off a three-goal year.

Rainey: "It is nice to have some returners who have had some success and understand the little differences needed to be successful in a season and in the Ivy League. We are going to lean on them to help our young players gain an understanding of what it takes to be a solid student-athlete."

CLASS OF 2023
Seven freshmen make up the Dartmouth women's soccer class of 2023. They fill a variety of roles with forwards Allie Winstanley, Juliet Moncho and Ellie Geier, midfielder Isabella Villaflor, defenders Relly Ladner and Sophie Pinnie and goalkeeper Charlotte Cyr.

Rainey: "We believe our freshman class has players that can make an impact. Mostly we want them to come mentally and physically ready to practice each day and be ready to make a positive impact on our team. We believe that all the members of the team will have moments to shine this season and that includes the class of '23."

2019 SCHEDULE
Dartmouth begins the season with back-to-back ACC opponents Pittsburgh and Syracuse. From there, the team heads to the Sunshine State to face Florida Atlantic and Florida International. The Big Green then return to New England to face New Hampshire, Quinnipiac, Rhode Island and Sacred Heart before Ivy League play begins against Brown (9/28). Dartmouth has two more non-conference games to look forward to against Merrimack and Southern Illinois as the year goes on.

ESPN+
Fans can watch all Big Green home and Ivy League games all season on ESPN+ with Justin McIsaac, Ben Altsher, Matt Corsetti and John Avino calling the action. Non-conference games will vary based on the opposing teams video provider.