Big Green Head to Columbia, Vermont for Final Two Road Games of Season

GAME 14
Dartmouth (3-10, 0-4 Ivy) at Columbia (4-8, 2-2 Ivy)
Date: Friday, October 21, 2022 – 6 p.m.
Location: New York, N.Y. – Columbia Field Hockey Stadium
All-Time Series: Dartmouth, 15-9
Last Time: 10/23/21 – L, 2-1
Watch (ESPN+) | Live Stats

GAME 15
Dartmouth (3-10, 0-4 Ivy) at Vermont (11-3, 4-2 America East)
Date: Sunday, October 23, 2022 – 12 p.m.
Location: Burlington, Vt. – Moulton Winder Field
All-Time Series: Dartmouth, 34-10-2
Last Time: 9/18/21 – L, 2-1
Watch (AmericaEast.TV) | Live Stats

SETTING THE SCENE
The Dartmouth field hockey team looks to build off three consecutive one-goal losses against quality opponents when the Big Green travel to Columbia on Friday (6 p.m.) and Vermont on Sunday (12 p.m.). Those defeats came against No. 8 Princeton, No. 15 Harvard and UMass Lowell, who all currently own double-figure wins and are a combined 31-12 on the season. This past weekend, Dartmouth fell to Harvard (3-2) and UMass Lowell (4-3). In each game, the Big Green had a chance until the very end, which included tying the score with five minutes left in the fourth quarter against the Crimson (a reigning Final Four team). Dartmouth scored five total goals last weekend against opponents who featured the No. 2 and No. 13 ranked scoring defenses.

LAST TIME OUT
HANOVER, N.H. (10/16/22) — The Dartmouth field hockey team scored first for a second straight game and was within striking distance until the final horn, but the result was similar to Friday's near-upset of No. 15 Harvard, as the Big Green fell to visiting UMass Lowell on Sunday, 4-3. A story of the weekend continued to be Dartmouth's offense. After scoring twice against the nation's second-ranked defense on Friday, the Big Green's three goals against UMass Lowell Sunday were tied for the most the River Hawks have given up all season. UMass Lowell were 13th nationally in scoring defense entering the weekend and entered Sunday's contest with a 9-5 record.

SCOUTING COLUMBIA
Columbia stands 4-8 on the season, 2-2 in Ivy League play. The Lions have won two of their last three, both in the Ivy League and both on the road – at Brown (3-2 in overtime) and Yale (2-1). Columbia began league play falling at No. 14 Harvard (3-1) and against Cornell (3-1).

Maya Walker leads the Lions in goals (5), assists (3) and points (13). She is followed by MK Myklebust, who owns four goals and an assist for nine points. Lindsey Yu is third in points with six (two goals, two assists). Sarah Considine has a defensive save while Katie Wimmer has started all 12 games in goal, recording a 2.69 goals against average and 74.6 save percentage. She was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 19 following a seven-save shutout of Wagner.

Last season, the Lions finished 8-9, but 1-6 in Ivy League play. They were 5-4 at home (and 2-3 at home so far this season).

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE LIONS
Dartmouth is 15-9 all-time vs. Columbia, but the Lions have won the last two meetings – both in Hanover. Both were one-goal games, 2-1 last season and 4-3 (in overtime) in 2019. Prior to that, the Big Green won two straight, including 2-1 on Oct. 19, 2018 in the last meeting in New York City. That was also Dartmouth's last Ivy League victory.

SCOUTING VERMONT
Vermont has enjoyed an impressive season, entering a Friday matchup at Maine with a 11-3 record, 4-2 in America East play. The Catamounts are coming off consecutive wins, 3-2 in overtime at New Hampshire and 4-0 against Stonehill. Vermont has played five overtime games this season, including one that went to a shootout, recording a 4-1 record in those contests.

The Catamounts offensively feature five players with double-digit points, led by 19 from Sophia Drees behind five goals and a team-leading nine assists. Maddie Moran is second with 15 points via a team-leading six goals and three assists. Kate Hall comes in next with 13 points (five goals, three assists). Ally Kennedy has made a pair of defensive saves, in front of goalkeeper Sierra Espeland, who has played every minute and recorded a 1.29 goals against average and 75.6 save percentage.

Last season, Vermont finished 10-8 and 3-5 in America East play.

ALL-TIME AGAINST THE CATAMOUNTS
The Big Green are 34-10-2 all-time vs. Vermont. The Catamounts have won three of the last four, but Dartmouth has won five of the last eight overall – as the Big Green won four in a row from 2012 to 2016. The last three meetings have featured one-goal margins, with UVM winning at Dartmouth in 2021 (2-1) with the Big Green winning at UVM in 2019 (3-2).

SCORING AGAINST SOME OF THE NATION'S BEST
Dartmouth scored five goals over the weekend of Oct. 14-16, coming against some of the nation's top-ranked scoring defenses.

Against No. 15 Harvard, the Big Green scored twice. The two goals marked their most against Harvard since scoring two at Harvard on Oct. 28, 2017. The margin of one was the closest Dartmouth has been against the Crimson since a 4-2 Big Green win on Nov. 2, 2013. Dartmouth's two goals marked its most at home against Harvard since a 2-0 win on Nov. 4, 1995. Dartmouth's goal scoring came against a Harvard team, which entered the day second nationally in goals against average (0.79). Last season, the Crimson led the nation at a miniscule 0.44 GAA on their way to a Final Four appearance, anchored by All-American goalkeeper Ellie Shahbo, who was No. 1 in the country in both GAA and save percentage. The Big Green beat Shahbo multiple times for only the fifth time in her last two seasons (30 games). It was only the 10th time she's given up multiple goals in her career (in 61 contests). Prior to that Oct. 14 game, the last time Harvard had given up multiple goals was nine games prior, on Sept. 11 against American. The last time the Crimson had allowed multiple goals in an Ivy League game was Oct. 26, 2019 against Princeton; before Friday, they had gone 12 straight league games without allowing multiple goals.

Two days later against UMass Lowell, the Big Green scored three times against the 13th-ranked defense entering the weekend. Those three goals were tied for a season-high goal total scored against the River Hawks.

POST STANDS TALL VS. PRINCETON
Senior goalkeeper Hatley Post led an impressive effort for the Big Green at No. 8 Princeton, who fell 1-0, but had a chance until the final whistle to pull the top-10 upset on Saturday, Oct. 8. She finished with a career-high 19 saves, the most in NCAA Division I this season, and earned Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week. She also received national recognition, garnering honorable mention from the NFHCA and Defensive Player of the Week from Synapse Sports.

Post became the Big Green's second weekly award winner of the season – marking the first time since 2013 that the program has won two. Classmate Holley Cromwell garnered Offensive Player of the Week earlier this year, meaning it's the first time since 2012 that two different Dartmouth student-athletes have won a weekly award in the same season. In that 2013 campaign, Ali Savage was named Player of the Week three times. The year prior, Savage won it twice while Maggie Scanlon won it once. It's also the first time since 2011 that Dartmouth won each of the two weekly awards presented that season (that year, it was Player and Rookie of the Week).

Post's 19 saves were the most in NCAA Division I field hockey this season. It was a career-high (eight more than her previous high), as she became just the second Ivy League student-athlete to stop that many shots in one game in over 13 seasons. It was also the fewest goals allowed by anyone nationally with at least 19 saves since Boston College's Jonna Kennedy stopped 21-of-22 sent her way against Syracuse on Apr. 10, 2021.

The Houston, Texas native had six second-quarter saves and eight in the third, including a sequence that made No. 10 on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays of the Day. Post's effort kept Dartmouth in the game until the final seconds, looking to pull a top-10 upset. After an early Tigers' goal, Post and Dartmouth's defense shut-out Princeton for the game's final 51:46, marking the Tigers' longest scoreless streak since Oct. 23, 2021 at Harvard. It was Princeton's longest scoreless streak at home since Sept. 26, 2021 vs. No. 2 Rutgers (57:50). All this came against the nation's No. 5 ranked scoring offense entering the day (averaging 3.32 goals per game).

The Big Green held Princeton to its fewest goals in an Ivy League home game since the Tigers scored one on Oct. 20, 2018 against No. 9 Harvard. It was Princeton's fewest goals at home against an unranked Ivy League opponent since Oct. 25, 2014. In addition, Dartmouth allowed its fewest goals against Princeton since a 2-1 win against the Tigers on Sept. 17, 2011. That was the Big Green's last win against Princeton, as Saturday marked Dartmouth's smallest margin of defeat in the all-time series since that game. It was also the Big Green's fewest goals allowed at Princeton since Sept. 22, 1990, a 1-0 defeat.

DEFENSE IMPRESSING
Along with the effort at Princeton, Dartmouth's defense has had its fair share of success this season. The Big Green held Merrimack to one goal, which came 58:06 into the game, in a 2-1 win. Dartmouth held a high-scoring Syracuse offense to three goals over the game's first 56 minutes. Against Brown, the Big Green held the Bears to, at the time, their fewest shots on goal (4) and tied for fewest shots (9) and goals (2).

REELING OFF WINS
Dartmouth's 2-1 win over Merrimack on Sunday, Sept. 18 gave the Big Green three straight wins for the first time since Oct. 18 to 24 of 2017. It was also Dartmouth's first time with three straight wins in regulation since 2013 (Oct. 23 to Nov. 2).

EARLY-SEASON SCORING
-The Big Green scored in the final minute at Cornell on Friday, Sept. 23 to increase their goal-scoring streak to begin the season to seven games. It marked the first time since 2015 that Dartmouth scored in each of the first seven games of the season.
-Dartmouth scored twice on Sunday, Sept. 18 vs. Merrimack to increase its streak of scoring multiple goals to four straight games, its longest streak since 2018.
-The Big Green's 12 goals over four games also mark their most scored in any four-game streak since scoring 15 between Sept. 18 and Oct. 3 of 2015.
-With Dartmouth's four goals against Sacred Heart on Sunday, Sept. 11, the Big Green reached 13 goals through five games – their most through any five-game stretch since the 2018 season. It was also the most through the first five games of any season since 2018.
-After scoring two against Merrimack, Dartmouth's 15 goals through six games were also its most since 2018.
-The Big Green scored 4+ goals in back-to-back games (vs. Northeastern and Sacred Heart) for the first time since Sept. 9-10 of 2017.
-Dartmouth's 10 goals over three games marked its most over a three-game stretch since scoring 11 from Sept. 1-9 of 2018.

HISTORIC WIN OVER NORTHEASTERN
Dartmouth earned a 4-3 win over Northeastern on Sept. 9, a historic victory which marked the Big Green's third in the all-time series against Northeastern and first since 1987. The four goals marked Dartmouth's most since a 5-0 win over Merrimack last Sept. 19. Caroline Carr scored twice in the win, the first two goals of her career, while Holley Cromwell and Payton Altman netted the others.

THAT MAINE SUCCESS
In the season opener at No. 22 Maine (a 5-2 loss), the Big Green finished with their most goals scored against Maine since the 2017 season — a 5-3 loss at home on Sept. 17, 2017. The two goals were Dartmouth's most against a nationally-ranked opponent since scoring twice against No. 19 Boston College on Sept. 13, 2019. The Big Green scored their most goals at Maine since the 2016 season, while the goal differential (-3) was their best at Maine since 2014.

STUDENT-ATHLETES
Dartmouth student-athletes enjoyed rewarding internship experiences over the summer. Read all about it, here.

Last February, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) announced the recipients of the 2021 Division I National Academic Team Awards. Dartmouth, along with 78 other programs, were honored with the distinction, presented to programs that earn a grade-point average of 3.0 or higher during the fall semester of the 2021-22 school year.

The Big Green's 3.76 team GPA ranked third in the entire nation and top amongst the Ivies, just beating out Brown's 3.75 team GPA.

"I am in awe of this achievement by each of the athletes on our roster," said head coach Mark Egner. "For the past number of years our athletes have sustained this standard of academic success. This is something that is incredibly important as we strive to provide the premier student-athlete experience."

WELCOME, COACHES!
This August, head field hockey coach Mark Egner announced the additions of Tanner Ridgely and Jen Callahan to his coaching staff as assistant coach and volunteer assistant, respectively. They join Maggie Reddecliff to round out the staff.

Ridgely arrives in Hanover after spending the 2021-22 academic year as a volunteer assistant coach with the Towson field hockey program. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in sport and recreation management with a minor in general business from James Madison University in 2021. While at James Madison, Ridgely spent three seasons on the field hockey team. She has also been a head coach for the Warhawks Field Hockey Club since November 2020.

No stranger to the Upper Valley, Callahan brings a wealth of coaching experience to Dartmouth. After a decorated four-year playing career at the University of Vermont, she got her start in coaching at Lehigh as a graduate assistant and moved up the ranks to be the transitional head coach in early 2011. After Lehigh, Callahan took the reins of the American International College field hockey program, leading the Yellow Jackets to the semifinals of the NE10 Championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament during the 2011 season. Callahan spent nearly a decade with the USA Field Hockey Futures DarProgram and has recently served as a Lebanon recreation volunteer coach in soccer, field hockey and lacrosse. A 2009 graduate of Vermont with a bachelor's degree in elementary education, Callahan went on to receive a master's degree in teaching and learning from Lehigh in 2011. She also holds a USA Field Hockey Level II Developmental Coaching Accreditation and a USA Field Hockey Level I Coaching Accreditation.

FOLLOW ALONG
Friday's game will be streamed on ESPN+, while Sunday's can be seen on AmericaEast.TV. Live stats will be available for both games as well.

WHAT'S AHEAD
After this weekend, Dartmouth returns home to host Yale on Saturday, Oct. 29 at 12 p.m.

Schedules