W. Lacrosse Faces No. 10 Dartmouth

Even if the weather forecasters predict that players will have to struggle with freezing temperatures and snow flurries this afternoon, the Harvard women's lacrosse team is preparing to turn its season around today with a road win against No. 10 Dartmouth.

Harvard (5-5, 0-4 Ivy) enters the game this afternoon looking for its first league win after dropping a difficult 14-9 loss to No. 3 Princeton last Saturday.

In spite of the Big Green's national ranking, the Crimson has all the tools necessary to win its first Ivy game today. What has hurt Harvard this season is not a lack of skill but a lack of concentration against teams it could easily defeat.

"We've played well against good teams, but when we're not there mentally and physically for the full 60 minutes, we end up losing to teams we could have beaten," said co-captain Megan Austin. "If we go at [Dartmouth] and play our game, we'll stop them."

Currently riding a seven-game win streak after beating Penn and Penn State on the road last weekend, the No. 10 Big Green will pose formidable offensive and defensive challenges to the Crimson this afternoon.

Harvard will have a difficult time breaking down a tough Dartmouth defense. Senior goalkeeper Sarah Hughes was named Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week after making 14 saves and causing two turnovers and two interceptions in the Big Green's 14-4 win over league rival Penn.

"Their goalkeeper is their strength," Austin said. "She is definitely their best defensive player."

The Big Green can also depend on several players to make key offensive contributions. Senior Suzy Gibbons, who leads the Ivies in scoring with 43 points (33 goals, 10 assists), chipped in three goals and added three assists in Dartmouth's 12-11 victory over Penn State Sunday afternoon. Gibbons earned Ivy League Offensive Player of the Week honors this week for scoring 11 points and five assists over a three-game span.

The Crimson defense will also have to keep an eye on junior Alison Moulin, who contributed three goals and an assist in the Penn State win. Earlier this season, Moulin scored six goals in a 19-5 victory over Columbia. Senior Amy Zimmer, who has scored several last-second, game-winning goals this season, has been another important offensive weapon for the Big Green.

Harvard, however, is confident that it can neutralize Dartmouth's multifaceted attack. In addition to junior Lizzy Frisbie, who led the Crimson in scoring against the Tigers Sunday, Austin and senior co-captain Alli Harper, who led the Ivies in scoring only two weeks ago, have helped to anchor a potent Harvard offense.

"We will beat [Dartmouth] if we stay aggressive and unite as a team," Austin said.

In the Crimson's contest against the Tigers on Saturday, Princeton dominated the first minutes of the game by scoring four unanswered points.

"We let [Princeton] get us at the beginning," Austin said.

Harvard quickly battled back, closing in on the lead just before halftime, but Princeton scored two quick goals late in the half to stifle the effort.

"We were able to fight back, but there were a few calls during the game that hurt us," Austin said.

The Crimson played evenly with the Tigers in the second half, staying within four goals of the Princeton lead.

But the Tiger offense, led by juniors Kim Smith and Lauren Simone, prevailed to give Princeton the win and a perfect 4-0 record in the Ivy.

"We played with them for most of the game except for the first few minutes," said co-captain Alli Harper, who finished the game with a goal and an assist. "Our team felt good about the game."

Smith, infamous for her strong left-handed move to goal, scored three goals and tallied three assists, despite the excellent defense of junior Erin Kutner.

"Erin played really great defense against Kim Smith," Harper said.

"We didn't let Kim use her move, but she's the kind of player that will just move up to the next level. Both Kim and Simone had great games."

Simone scored two goals and notched an assist for the Tigers, while junior Charlotte Kenworthy also came through as a big contributor with three goals.

Frisbie led the Harvard offense with three goals against the Tigers Saturday. Senior Lauren Corkery was the Crimson's only other multi-goal scorer by netting two goals for the game. Seniors Courtney Leimkuhler and Jennifer Lee and sophomore Katie Shaughnessy each scored a goal.

After today's game against Dartmouth, Harvard will host Columbia on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m.