A protracted struggle against Dartmouth (2-4, 1-1 Ivy) ended unfavorably for the field hockey team Saturday, as the Big Green rallied in the second half to win 4-3.
Riding high after last Sunday’s victory over Colgate University, Brown (3-4, 0-2) entered the game looking to notch its first conference win of the season. The team viewed the game as a chance to improve upon weaknesses in prior matches.
“We’ve had some errors in our previous games by playing apart,” said Head Coach Jill Reeve. “We knew we had to play together, and we did.”
Bruno got off to a good start in the first half, setting up fast breaks and netting goals. Meghan O’Donnell ’15 said this represented progress for the team.
“We came out hard, which has been an issue for us,” O’Donnell said. “We’ve come out a little bit flat (in the past).”
Co-captain Avery Burns ’14 capitalized on the team’s tight passing to score unassisted in the 13th minute. Shortly afterwards, Clayton Christus ’15 bolstered the Bears’ lead by scoring off a penalty corner.
The Big Green refused to go down without a fight, as Dartmouth regained momentum following Christus’ goal. The visitors recorded a pair of goals in rapid succession, equalizing the score.
O’Donnell — whose speed Coach Reeve described as Brown’s “secret weapon” — retaliated in the closing minutes of the period. The forward chipped the ball past Dartmouth’s goalie with a diving shot. The Bears left the field with a 3-2 lead at halftime.
But during the second half, Brown found itself on the wrong end of a comeback. Dartmouth’s forwards stepped up their level of intensity, stretching Bruno’s defense beyond its limits.
The Big Green recorded twice as many shots as the Bears during the second half, forcing two goals. Despite pulling goaltender Shannon McSweeney ’15 after the go-ahead score, Brown failed to find the back of the net with the additional offense.
Reeve remained upbeat after the game, reflecting favorably on her team’s style of play.
“This was a fight!” Reeve said. “At the end of the game, I wouldn’t have made any changes tactically.”
O’Donnell also seemed unphased by the loss. “I thought we were the better team,” she said. “They got very lucky in the end, and I think that if we play them another 10 times, we’re winning nine out of ten.”
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