March 24, 2007

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. - For over 50 minutes of game action on Saturday afternoon Dartmouth managed to limit Yale's leading scorer, junior midfielder Lauren Taylor, to just one goal. But thanks to multiple-goal efforts from senior midfielder Lara Melniker, senior attacker Marya Myers and sophomore defenseman Jenn Warden, the Bulldogs were within striking distance of the Big Green. So when Taylor did break out -- scoring two goals in a span of 1:51 late in the second half -- it was enough to give Yale a 9-8 lead. Myers then tacked on an insurance goal to complete a thrilling 10-8 comeback victory over the Big Green.

"Our offense was much more spread out in terms of shooting and attacking," said Amanda O'Leary, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Lacrosse. "When people try to shut down Lauren, we have people that are ready to step up. Today was a team win."

The defense also contributed in a big way, holding the Big Green to its second-lowest goal total of the season. While Dartmouth's defense was ultimately unable to contain Taylor, the Bulldogs were more successful in negating Dartmouth's leading scorer -- preseason All-American Whitney Douthett. Douthett entered the day with 16 goals but got none on Saturday, as junior defenseman Jess Champion tracked seemingly every move toward goal she made.

"We were most concerned about her as their biggest offensive threat," O'Leary said of Douthett. "Jess was amazing. She took away her shot opportunities and forced her into assisting situations."

Senior defenseman Lindsay Levin, the team captain, contributed four caused turnovers. Senior midfielder Lisa McKenna also saw significant action, subbing in for defensive purposes throughout the game.

"Lisa McKenna came in off the bench and really sparked the defensive unit," O'Leary said.

Yale (6-3, 1-1 Ivy) grabbed a 1-0 lead on a free-position shot by Taylor, and junior goalkeeper Ellen Cameron made one of her biggest stops of the day to deny Kristen Barry on a free-position shot shortly after that. Myers then converted an assist from junior midfielder Kat Peetz to make it 2-0 Yale.

Dartmouth (3-3, 0-1 Ivy) then reeled off four straight goals, including three by Barry, to go up 4-2. Levin ended that string by coming up with a key interception to give Yale a chance to regain momentum. After Levin's pickoff Warden drew a foul and converted a free-position shot to get Yale within one at the 8:13 mark, and Melniker's free-position goal tied the score at four with 1:27 to play. Champion forced Douthett into a turnover right before halftime to keep the game knotted.

The Big Green then scored the first three goals of the second half to take its biggest lead of the day. But after the third goal Taylor grabbed her own draw control, leading into a Warden-to-Myers connection to get Yale back within two with 20:25 to play.

"The team never panicked when we were down," said O'Leary. "They kept fighting back. They showed some grit and guts, which is something this team has that sets it apart. They believe in themselves and what we're trying to do."

A free-position goal by Warden and a goal by Melniker off an assist by freshman attacker Jessica Sturgill tied the game with 11:18 to play, but Sarah Szefi put Dartmouth back up 8-7 two minutes later.

Then, it was time for Taylor to make her presence known.

"A player like Lauren, you can only tie her up for so long," O'Leary said. "She'll pick and choose her shots and once she decides, there are very few people that can stop her. That's who we want with the ball -- she's confident and she's accurate."

Less than a minute after the Szefi goal Taylor got the ball near the top of the 8-meter arc. She cut quickly to her right to give herself just enough room to bounce one past Dartmouth goalkeeper Julie Wadland to tie the game with 8:15 remaining.

Taylor was not done yet. Less than two minutes after tying the game, she got the ball down low at a tough angle to Wadland's left. She slowed the game down, cradling the ball with her back to the net, before quickly cutting in front and firing in her 34th goal of the year with 6:24 left to play.

After Myers came through with her third goal of the day (and fifth in the last two games) to make it 10-8 with 5:01 to play, Taylor grabbed the ensuing draw control. That enabled Yale to spend most of the game's final minutes playing keep away at Dartmouth's end of the field. And when the Bulldogs turned it over with two minutes to play they quickly got the ball back by forcing Dartmouth into a turnover. Levin gathered up the game's last ground ball before the celebration started.

This was Yale's second win in a row against Dartmouth, who made it to the NCAA championship game last season and has a string of four straight tournament appearances. But it was also just the fourth time in the last 16 years the Bulldogs have beaten the Big Green. The victory is all the more crucial in light of the fact that Yale had already lost its Ivy League opener, and no team has ever won an Ivy championship with two league losses.

Yale returns to action Wednesday, hosting UMass at 3:00 p.m.

report by Sam Rubin '95 (sam.rubin@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity