Sports Weekly 11/03/14

11. 03. 14

FOOTBALL DROPS FIRST IVY GAME TO HARVARD

WOMEN’S SOCCER KEEPS TITLE HOPES ALIVE WITH 2-0 WIN

WOMEN’S CROSS COUNTRY REPEATS AS HEPS CHAMPS TREVELYAN WING, TRACY WANG, ELIZA MCDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 2

BY THE NUMBERS

47 Team points by the women’s cross country team in its Heps win.

94 Rushing yards for the football team in a 2312 loss to Harvard.

12-1 Shot ratio in the men’s soccer game, in favor of the Big Green.

1 After a 2-0 win over Harvard, the women’s soccer team sits just one point out of first.

Football falls to 3-1 in Ivy League with 23-12 loss B y BRETT DRUCKER

The Dartmouth Senior Staff

It was billed as Dartmouth’s biggest game since the two met as undefeated teams in 1997. The game unfolded differently from the 24-0 contest 17 years prior, but ended in the same result: a Crimson victory.

On Saturday, Dartmouth (5-2, 3-1 Ivy) fell short of achieving its first undefeated Ivy League season since 1996, and Harvard (7-0, 4-0 Ivy) managed to parry another challenge from the developing Big Green squad, 23-12.

Harvard’s vaunted defense, which leads the league in points allowed, proved too tough a challenge for the Big Green as Dartmouth was held to 94 rush yards on the day and was forced to kick two red zone field goals.

At the end of the day, however, turnovers doomed the Big Green. The home team lost two fumbles and had an interception, compared to only one interception thrown by the Crimson.

The Crimson also won the third-down battle, converting nine of 16 compared to five of 16 for the Big Green.

“They made more plays than we did

today,” head coach Buddy Teevens said in a post-game press conference. “We had opportunities if we didn’t turn the ball over. We could not get them off the field quickly enough.”

Harvard’s offense moved the ball efficiently throughout the game, especially on the ground with junior running back Paul Stanton rushing for a career-high 180 yards thanks to a strong push from the Crimson offensive line, which was consistent at the point of attack throughout the game.

“We knew Dartmouth was a good defense going in, but we knew they also didn’t bring as much pressure as Princeton,” Stanton said at the press conference. “They tend to play a little more back, so we knew we were going to be able to run the ball a little bit more on them.”

Dartmouth’s offense had moments of strength, but it could not establish a consistent rhythm as the game progressed. Quarterback Dalyn Williams ’16 passed for 210 yards and added 37 more on the ground before leaving the game due to an eye injury sustained late in the second half.

Replacement Alex Park ’14 com-

pleted seven of his 11 passes, but he could not lead the Big Green on a scoring drive and was intercepted late in the fourth quarter to seal Dartmouth’s fate.

The first half was a game of fits and starts. After receiving the opening kickoff, the Crimson drove 75 yards for an impressive touchdown drive, punctuated by Stanton’s 3-yard run to give Harvard an early lead.

The Big Green struck back with a 72-yard scoring drive as the first quarter drew to an end. Thanks to a few key third-down conversions on Williams completions to Stephen Johnston ’18 and Kyle Bramble ’16 and a 10-yard run from Bramble to convert a 4 and 1, the Big Green rushed into scoring position. The running back from Floyds Knobs, Indiana, finished the drive two plays later on a 2-yard run up the middle, but Harvard blocked the PAT. The Crimson retaliated on its next drive, scoring a 37-yard touchdown on a reverse pass that fooled the Dartmouth secondary. Harvard had its PAT attempt blocked as well, keeping the Big Green within seven.

On the second play of Dartmouth’s ensuing possession, Williams hit run-

ning back Brian Grove ’16 in stride, streaking down the near sideline for 37 yards that had the Big Green threatening again.

But Dartmouth could not convert on 4th and 1 from the Harvard 28-yard line, as Bramble was stopped inches short.

“They’re a very tough run defense,” right tackle Scotty Whitmore ’15 said in the press conference. “Their defensive linemen transition well off of blocks, that’s what they’re really good at.”

Dartmouth would then be hurt by its first turnover of the afternoon as a completion to Victor Williams ’16 over the middle was fumbled on the hit, giving Harvard the ball at the Dartmouth 23.

The Crimson capitalized on five consecutive run plays, with Stanton getting the score on a 2-yard dive to put Harvard up 20-6.

Refusing to quit before the half, the Big Green set out on a 5:44 drive that ended in a 30-yard field goal from Alex Gakenheimer ’17, who remains perfect in his field goal attempts in his Dartmouth career, to get the Big Green SEE FOOTBALL PAGE SW 4

Women’s soccer takes down Crimson 2-0 to stay alive

By EMILY WECHSLER

The women’s soccer team won its last home game of the season Saturday, beating Harvard University 2-0 at Burnham Field. Corey Delaney ’16 scored both goals, one in each half, to keep the Dartmouth women alive in the Ancient Eight.

The game was a must-win for Dartmouth (7-4-4, 3-0-3 Ivy) to have a shot at the Ivy League title, placing the team just one point behind Harvard (9-4-2, 4-1-1 Ivy). Each team will have one more league game next weekend. The Big Green will face last-place Cornell University (7-9, 1-5 Ivy) Saturday on the road, while the Crimson will return to Cambridge for its final match against fourth-place Columbia University (73-6, 2-2-2 Ivy).

Dartmouth extended its home unbeaten streak to 19 games since its

Lindsay Ellis ’15 Editor-in-Chief

11. 03. 14

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2014

Stephanie McFeeters ’15 Executive Editor

Blaze Joel ’15 Joe Clyne ’16

Sports Editors Tracy Wang ’15 Natalie Cantave ’16 Photography Editors

Carla Larin ’15 Publisher

Michael Riordan ’15 Executive Editor

non-conference loss to Pepperdine University in October 2012.

Five graduating seniors — Kate Castillo ’15, Kendall Kraus ’15, Tatiana Saunders ’15, Laura Thurber ’15 and Tasha Wilkins ’15 — were honored in a pre-game ceremony.

“I think people will remember this game for a long time,” head coach Ron Rainey said. “Especially those seniors, it’s special for them.”

The Crimson nearly scored on a play that drew Saunders out of the cage.

She dove in front of the ball carrier to smother the ball, but it snuck underneath her. A Dartmouth defender was behind her and cleared it out.

In the 16th minute, a similar event happened on the opposite end of the pitch. Harvard senior goalkeeper Cheta Emba miscommunicated with a defender, as a ball from Jackie Friedman ’16 headed toward the top of the box.

Neither defender nor keeper eliminated the threat, giving Delaney time to poke the ball over Emba. Delaney continued after the ball as it bounced into the open net, putting Dartmouth up 1-0.

The early goal gave Dartmouth more confidence, and the players began to dominate the midfield by winning 50-50 balls.

“That was definitely something we talked about,” Delaney said. “It’s always important to win 50-50s, especially in the midfield, control the game that way, and that was a big focus of ours this game.”

The Big Green defense was solid.

Friedman used her speed and footwork to advance the ball, and she often intercepted throw-ins and passes on the

defensive end to start attacking runs. On one advance she took a shot that should have been easy for Emba to cover, yet the net-minder did not handle the ball cleanly.

Emba entered the game with a 5-1-0 record in 10 games, but did not show the same strength in today’s match.

Saunders has a 0.65 goals against average in 13 games, including seven clean sheets.

Harvard and Dartmouth both had

early chances in the second half, including a ball that slipped through Emba’s hands and was just cleared out by the Harvard defense.

Less than five minutes in, Delaney scored again. She faced several defenders but attacked them with speed, using good footwork to get them on their heels.

The defense gave her space at the top of the box, and the junior lined up a shot SEE W SOCC PAGE SW 4

ELIZA MCDONOUGH/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

The women’s soccer team battled to a 2-0 win against Harvard.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2014

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

Women’s XC wins Ivy title, men fourth

By CHRIS ShIM

The women’s cross country team won the Ivy League Heptagonal Championships title for the second consecutive year with 47 team points, defeating runner-up Princeton University by 20 points. The men’s team finished fourth overall in the Saturday race at West Windsor Fields in Princeton, New Jersey.

Leading the way for the women was Dana Giordano ’16, who placed second in the wet and muddy 6-kilometer race in 20:28. Right behind her was Sarah DeLozier ’15, who placed third in 20:36.

Not far behind them were Sarah Bennett ’16, Reid Watson ’16 and Ellie Gonzalez ’18, who finished within three seconds of each other in 12th, 13th and 17th places.

“Right after I finished, I turned around to watch the finish,” Giordano said. “I was holding up numbers on my fingers and I had three for Princeton and two for us.

When I saw our pack of three [Sarah, Reid, and Ellie], I freaked out because I knew we had won.”

Women’s head coach Courtney Jaworski was pleased with the runners’ execution of their race plan.

“We’d been talking about packing in meets all season, and I was happy to see them do that so well,” he said.

The Big Green women maintained a tight pack throughout the race, keeping the spread between the third and seventh runners being under 15 seconds.

“Our athletes did a really good job of sticking together, fighting together and pushing each other when it got tough,” Jaworski said. “That definitely won the race for us.”

Despite being the defending Ivy League

champions, the women’s team had lost a key contributor in Abbey D’Agostino ’14 from last year’s championship team.

Nevertheless, the team showcased its depth and youth.

The women’s team’s strategic knowledge of the course helped them seize the victory, Giordano said.

“We ran through the course the day before and mapped our race plan,” Giordano said. “Our plan was to stay relaxed and execute the race we knew we had trained this whole year for.”

The men’s team finished fourth overall.

Princeton University took home the men’s team title, finishing with 30 team points.

Cornell University placed second with 74 points, and the University of Pennsylvania edged the Big Green by one point for third place.

Despite the close finish, the Dartmouth men were disappointed with the outcome.

“I think we had high expectations going in — we were looking to come away with the win,” Silas Talbot ’15 said.

“That did not exactly play out. We had disappointing performances across the board, myself included.”

Men’s head coach Barry Harwick echoed similar sentiments.

“Princeton ran a phenomenal race — no one in the conference was going to beat them ­— but we should’ve placed second,” Harwick said.

Harwick noted that the team faced a bout of bad luck, as Nat Adams ’17, who was Dartmouth’s top runner for much of the race, lost his shoe and fell back.

Talbot was the top Dartmouth runner, placing 11th and finishing the 8-kilometer race in 24:47. Not far behind him were Tim Gorman ’16, who placed 14th in

24:52 and Julian Heninger ’17, who placed 22nd in 25:01. Rounding out the scoring runners were Curtis King ’16 and Brian Masterson ’16, who placed 30th and 43rd, respectively.

Nevertheless, there were some positive takeaways from the race.

Harwick said that Talbot and Heninger’s performances were positive because they made up ground over the last quarter of the course.

“Tim Gorman also ran very aggressively — at one point he was in the top 10 — and ran very competitively,” he said.

For now, the men’s team is shifting its focus to the NCAA Northeast Regional, to be held in two weeks.

“We have to completely put this behind us,” Talbot said. “It’ll be very difficult for us to qualify for nationals. We’ll have to have a phenomenal race at regionals. We’ll be spending the next few weeks recovering from some minor injuries — we had a lot of guys fall down in the race — and getting our morale back up.”

Harwick also emphasized the strength of the Northeast region, citing Syracuse University’s spot in third and Iona University’s spot in fifth nationally. He said though it may sound like a stretch, he thinks the team can place fourth.

Both teams will return to action in two weeks at the NCAA Northeast Regional on Nov. 14 at Van Cortlandt Park in New York. The top two teams on the men’s and women’s side automatically advance to the NCAA National Championships on Nov. 22 in Terre Haute, Indiana, with 13 at-large bids available on each side for teams and 38 bids for individuals not on qualifying teams.

Men’s soccer battles Harvard to 1-1 draw

By ALEXANDER AGADJANIAN

The final scene at Burnham Field on Saturday night could not have been more telling. In the waning seconds of the overtime clash between the Ivy League’s top soccer teams, Dartmouth and Harvard University (9-4-2, 2-1-2 Ivy), the final whistle left Big Green players sprawled out on the pitch, completely spent after a grueling 1-1 (2OT) draw, and a particularly draining final sequence.

With rain steadily falling throughout the night and temperatures reaching the 30s, the Big Green (9-4-2, 3-1-1 Ivy) manufactured one last offensive burst in the final 15 seconds of double overtime. Gabe Stauber ’15 led the final charge at goal, pacing down the right side within the goalie box and skillfully shifting the ball inside on the ground toward the front of the goal. The midfielder found the Big Green’s most dynamic offensive threat, Alex Adelabu ’15, with a clear look at an open net and some room to maneuver.

However, with just six seconds on the clock, Adelabu could not capitalize on this opportunity. The striker failed to control the ball, stumbling over it for a second before attempting a shot that the Harvard defense

deflected.

As the Big Green faithful screamed for a go-ahead goal, the ball found its way to the feet of Hugh Danilack ’15 with mere moments left. The senior quickly took a touch and powered a shot on frame that smacked off the crossbar and back into the field of play as the final horn blared.

“It was one of those things where there’s a magnetic force or what just kept the ball out,” head coach Chad Riley said. “Some guys are very disappointed, because even before that we could have won the game in 90, in the first overtime, the second overtime. In some ways, I was pleased to see guys tearing up because they put so much of their heart and soul into that game.”

Matt Danilack ’18, who played a vital role in controlling the midfield for the Big Green throughout the game, said the lastsecond sequence was just unlucky.

“Sometimes it’s just not going to go in for you, and it’s unfortunate that it happens in an Ivy game,” Stefan Defregger ’15 said.

“But a tie is not the end of the world for us, we still have control of our own destiny to win the Ivy League.”

Dartmouth dominated its Ivy League rivals Saturday night, accumulating a

striking 12-1 shot advantage over Harvard, as well as a 5-1 edge in shots on goal. The Crimson, though gradually improving over the course of the game, scored on the team’s only shot of the game.

The Big Green began with a burst of energy. Within the first minute, Dartmouth had already pressured Harvard’s right flank.

Midfielder Robin Alnas ’15 launched a cross that passed in front of Harvard’s goal, but the Crimson defense cleared it away.

The strong start paved the way for a striking goal for the Big Green.

Defregger received the ball to the right of the goal outside the box and fired a shot at the goal. He sliced his shot into the top left corner of the goal.

“I got the ball, the defender backed off and I just saw the back post and thought to put it on net and put it in a pretty good spot,” Defregger said.

Throughout the rest of the opening half, Dartmouth kept up the pressure, with Defregger along with fellow seniors Adelabu, Danilack, and Alnas leading the charge.

As important as it was that his team SEE M SOCC PAGE SW 4

SW 3

THE

RUNDOWN Football SCHOOL

IVY

OVERALL

HARVARD YALE DARTMOUTH PRINCETON

4-0 3-1 3-1 3-1

7-0 6-1 5-2 4-3

BROWN PENN CORNELL COLUMBIA

2-2 1-3 0-4 0-4

4-3 1-6 0-7 0-7

Men’s Soccer SCHOOL

IVY

OVERALL

PRINCETON DARTMOUTH HARVARD PENN COLUMBIA CORNELL BROWN YALE

3-1-1 3-1-1 2-1-2 2-1-2 2-2-1 2-3-0 1-2-2 0-4-1

8-3-3 9-4-2 9-4-2 6-7-2 6-6-1 9-5-1 4-5-6 1-11-3

Women’s Soccer SCHOOL

IVY

OVERALL

HARVARD DARTMOUTH PRINCETON COLUMBIA YALE PENN BROWN CORNELL

4-1-1 3-0-3 3-2-1 2-2-2 1-1-4 2-3-1 1-3-2 1-5-0

9-4-2 7-4-4 6-5-3 7-3-6 7-4-4 7-5-3 6-7-3 7-9-0

Volleyball SCHOOL

IVY

OVERALL

HARVARD YALE PRINCETON DARTMOUTH BROWN PENN COLUMBIA CORNELL

8-2 8-2 7-3 4-6 4-6 4-6 3-7 2-8

15-4 12-7 12-8 13-8 9-13 7-14 7-12 5-15

Field Hockey SCHOOL

IVY

OVERALL

COLUMBIA PRINCETON CORNELL HARVARD PENN DARTMOUTH BROWN YALE

5-1 5-1 4-2 3-3 3-3 3-3 1-5 0-6

12-4 6-10 10-5 9-7 8-8 5-11 9-7 2-14

THE DARTMOUTH SPORTS WEEKLY

SW 4

ONE

ON

ONE

WITH WYATT OMSBERG ’18

By KATIE JARRETT The Dartmouth Staff

I sat down with Wyatt Omsberg ’18 of the men’s soccer team before the team’s Saturday game against Harvard University. Omsberg is the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week thanks to his game-winning overtime goal in the Big Green’s 1-0 win over Columbia University last week.

How do you think the season has been going?

WO: Really well. We played a few tough teams in the first couple of games, but since then, we’ve been pretty solid.

Everything had been coming together the last couple of games, so I think we have some good momentum.

What enabled you to be score the game-winner in the Columbia game?

WO: With the set piece, it was just a really good cross from Stefan [Defregger ’15]. We’ve been working on it a lot. I hadn’t scored on a direct set piece, but we had gotten close, but it’s nice to get one in after working so hard on it.

What has been the biggest change for you or hardest thing about being a freshman?

WO: I’d say adjusting to classes was tough, but you have a lot more free time. Managing soccer and school at the same time has been a little bit of a change. With soccer, I think the biggest change with that is everyone’s faster, better, bigger, more athletic. Everything is just quicker.

What did you do to prepare for coming into your first collegiate season?

WO: Over the summer I played with my club team, the Portland Phoenix.

Aside from that, I just did a lot of training and running.

Do you have any personal pregame rituals or superstitions?

WO: I have some little superstitions, but nothing that’s really big. I always roll out with the foam rollers the same exact way. Just little stuff like that.

If you have any free time outside of soccer and school, what do you like to do?

WO: A lot of the freshmen live together in Russell Sage, so a lot of us go there when we have free time on weekends or before games and watch movies, hang out, play video games.

When did you start playing soccer?

WO: For as long as I can remember I’ve been playing. My dad played soccer. My brother and sister, who are older than me, they both play.

What’s something not a lot of people know about you?

WO: If I had to say anything, just that I like dogs a lot. I have two dogs at home, a yellow lab and a beagle.

Any predictions for the rest of the season?

WO: We’re in a good spot right now. I think as long as we keep working hard and getting some results the next couple of games we should be okay. The goal is to win the Ivy League, and we’re going to do everything we can.

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3, 2014

Women’s soccer now one point back FROM W SOCC PAGE SW 2

and fired it toward the far post on her right foot.

As the clock ticked down, Harvard pushed for goals, earning a free kick that senior Bethany Kanten sent wide. But, the game ended 2-0 and gave Harvard its first Ivy loss of the season.

“It was a really big win,” Delaney said. “It keeps us alive in the Ivy League — it’s going to come down to the last game. We hadn’t beaten Harvard last year, so it was a really good win.”

Rainey had even higher praise, call-

ing it the team’s best game of the year.

“In the second half, our possession under pressure was the best we’ve had all year, and it allowed us to create some more chances and keep them away from our goal,” he said. “Our team is very solid defensively, but the way we possessed at times in midfield today helped make the game go fast in the second half instead of defending for long stretches.”

Conditions were wet, making the field slippery, but Delaney said the team adapted well. The team came from playing two games on artificial turf fields

where play is faster, which Rainey said may have been good preparation for the extra speed the ball picked up on the wet Burnham Field grass. Players also talked about shortening their “swings” when kicking the ball.

“That second goal, I mean, what a great move from a left-footed player, she put it onto her right foot, and that was a short, compact swing and just a great goal,” Rainey said.

The Big Green plays the University of Massachusetts at Lowell Tuesday before hitting the road to play Cornell on Saturday.

Football struggles to find end zone in loss FROM FOOTBALL PAGE SW 2

within 11 going into the half.

“The thought at halftime was, ‘We’ve been in this situation before, we’ve been down before,’” cornerback Vernon Harris ’16 said at the press conference.

Dartmouth received the second half kick and looked poised for a strong second half. The first drive resulted in another Dartmouth field goal, this time from 22 yards, to cap a 70-yard drive that included a highlight 37-yard completion to Bramble down the far sideline.

The Dartmouth defense then took the cue to make a big play of its own as Troy Donahue ’15 intercepted an errant pass from backup quarterback junior Scott Hosch to give the Big Green the ball again with momentum on its side.

But the energy quickly dissipated.

The teams traded punts without advancing much beyond midfield for the remainder of the quarter.

Harvard kicked a 33-yard field goal to go up 23-12 with six minutes remaining in the game, which left Dartmouth with only a few chances left.

Park drove the team across midfield

in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter when Bo Patterson ’15 lost control of the ball after a 12-yard completion at the Harvard 47, turning the ball over and all but sealing the Crimson victory.

Harvard has now taken 17 out of the last 18 matchups with the Big Green and takes sole possession of first place in the Ivy League while Dartmouth is tied with Yale and Princeton University at 3-1.

Dartmouth looks to get back into the win column next week at Cornell University.

I checked back in with Wyatt after the soccer team’s 1-1 tie against Harvard University on Saturday.

What does the tie mean for the Ivy League standings and the season?

WO: It wasn’t the outcome we were looking for, but I don’t think it’s a bad result. Every point is valuable, and we’re still tied for first in the league and in a spot to control our own destiny. The next two games are huge for us, but for right now our focus is on Cornell.

This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.

TREVELYAN WING/THE DARTMOUTH STAFF

Dalyn Williams ’16 attempted to hurdle a defender in Dartmouth’s 23-12 loss to Harvard Saturday.

Men’s soccer falls to a tie atop Ivy League with Princeton FROM M SOCC PAGE SW 3

controlled the game, Riley said, he felt Dartmouth could have taken advantage of more chances in the game’s early stages.

“To be honest, after 10 or 15 minutes, you felt you could have been up two or three,” Riley said.

Harvard sharpened its play as the game went on. While still prone to mistakes in its own defensive zone, the Crimson generated more and more offensive threats and

produced dangerous chances near the Big Green goal.

Riley said Dartmouth let the Crimson back in the game when the Big Green stopped pressuring the midfield, forcing fewer Harvard turnovers and thus fewer opportunities for the Big Green to attack in transition.

The team had a good first 15 minutes and then “sort of panicked a little bit” after it scored, Defregger said.

Dartmouth’s defensive line be-

gan to appear much more suspect, allowing several Harvard offensive players to pierce through unchecked into the goalie box. Finally, in the 40th minute, the Crimson struck to level the score at one.

Harvard freshman Sam Brown found sophomore Kyle Henderson in the middle of the field. Henderson created enough space for himself to blast a shot that appeared to deflect off of a Dartmouth defender and into the net. The shot took a fortuitous bounce for the

Crimson, leaving goalkeeper Stefan Cleveland ’16 unable to react.

To begin the second half of play, the Big Green came out of the gates with authority, generating a number of opportunities primarily in the form of crosses. This offensive dominance persisted throughout the half and then into the two overtime periods, forcing Harvard to assume a defensive mindset, but the Big Green could not notch a goal. The deadlock remained until the final whistle, in large part due

to the performance of Crimson goalkeeper Evan Mendez, whose four saves proved crucial to his team leaving Hanover with a tie.

The match leaves Dartmouth tied for the top Ivy spot with Princeton University. Both teams have two games remaining, and Dartmouth has the tiebreaker over the Tigers (8-3-3, 3-1-1 Ivy) thanks to a 2-1 OT win over Princeton in October.

The Big Green next take the pitch at Cornell on Saturday.