Following a victory over Sacred Heart Wednesday, the women’s soccer team extended its winning streak to five with a 1-0 overtime win over Dartmouth (4-5, 0-1 Ivy) at Stevenson-Pincince Field Sunday.
Star White ’21 scored the golden goal — her fourth of the season — in the 92nd minute. White controlled a looping cross from Celia Story ’19 in the left side of the box before launching a shot to the right corner of the net.
“The whole game we were dominating — you could tell we were the leaders of the game in terms of possession, and we had a bunch of chances on goal,” White said. “I knew it was coming, and we deserved a win.”
The Bears (8-2, 1-0) applied consistent offensive pressure throughout, outshooting the Big Green 23-6.
“We’ve got to finish our opportunities when they come, and there were a couple of opportunities earlier in the game where I felt we rushed our shot a little bit,” said Head Coach Kia McNeill. “What you saw out of Star at the end (was) a little bit more composure.”
A strong defensive showing enabled Bruno to shut the Big Green down and compensate for the drawbacks of the 3-5-2 formation the Bears recently adopted.
“Playing a 3-5-2 — it leaves you a little bit more vulnerable in the back, so there was a lot that we wanted to clean up this week,” McNeill said. “Our defenders really implemented the game plan well and executed everything that we wanted them to do tonight.”
Goalkeeper Christine Etzel ’19 made two saves — including a leaping catch off a header in the second half — for her second shutout of the season.
As the Bears delve deeper into conference play, they seek to develop greater fluidity on the field and conviction in the final third.
“We need to continue to find chemistry up top in terms of finishing the ball, knowing where to cross it, where your runs are and just finishing off the game early,” White said.
While Bruno’s recent wins are a major source of optimism, the team remains diligent.
“We’re confident, but we’re not complacent, and we’re still hungry to keep getting after the next one,” McNeill said. “Right now we’re just focused on getting everybody’s bodies rejuvenated and ready for next weekend.”
The Bears continue Ivy League play at Columbia Saturday before hosting Princeton Oct. 7.
