Big Green wins over Crimson, takes top spot
Dartmouth held on as a surging Harvard fell just short at the final whistle at Brophy. Final: Dartmouth 22 - Harvard 19. With the win, Dartmouth virtually secures the top spot in Tier 1.
Pregame
Harvard (1-0) goes across to Hanover, NH to take on Dartmouth (2-0) in this Tier 1 Ivy Conference match.All suspect this match will settle the Ivies until the playoff which begin Oct 22nd.
The Dartmouth women easily defeated both Columbia and Brown to get to 2-0. Harvard also defeated Brown last weekend under the Friday night lights as the Crimson christened their new rugby stadium on Harvard's campus.
Dartmouth Big Green (3-1, 2-0 Ivy)
Harvard Crimson (3-0, 1-0 Ivy)
Saturday, October 1, 2016 – 2 p.m.
Hanover, N.H. – Brophy Field
SATURDAY’S GAME
The Dartmouth rugby team plays host to Ivy rival Harvard Saturday at 2 p.m. in a game with huge implications on home field in the upcoming postseason tournament later this month.
LAST TIME OUT
The Big Green cruised to its biggest margin of victory in the varsity program’s history. Dartmouth routed Columbia, 110-0, last Saturday afternoon at Brophy Field, taking a 62-0 lead into the intermission before completing the win with 48 points in the final stanza.
SCOUTING THE CRIMSON
- Harvard is on a three-game win streak to start the season, having picked up victories at the expense of Navy (32-7), the University of New England (54-0) and, most recently, Brown (45-15). In those three games, the Crimson have yet to trail at any point, taking the lead early and never relinquishing it.
- These two teams played last fall during the 15s season with Dartmouth earning a 20-15 win in Hanover. They met again during the 7s season played in the Spring with Harvard claiming a 19-0 victory.
PLAYER & PLAY OF THE WEEK
For her play against the Lions, junior captain Ashley Zepeda was tabbed as the DartmouthSports.com Female Athlete of the Week. One of her three tries in the game also earned a spot on the site’s plays of the week.
CROWDED AT THE TOP
Thanks to the 110-point win last weekend, the top of the Dartmouth scoring leaderboard is becoming a little more crowded. Freshman Becca Jane Rosko continues to lead the way with 30 points, while sophomore Kat Ramage is second with 29. Zepeda and freshmen Eva Klein and Frankie Sands round out the quartet of players with 20 or more points this season as the trio all qualify with 20 through four games. In all, 15 players have recorded at least one try this season.
DOWTY’S KEYS TO SUCCESS
Communication: “We've got our systems in place, but how well we communicate will determine how well our attack and defense are operating on the day. It's the grease that makes the machine run smoothly.”
Discipline: “We are known for playing a very physical and aggressive defense, but we'll need to balance that intensity with discipline to frustrate and stifle Harvard's attack.”
Standards: “Like always, we're ready for battle and we expect the opposition to bring their best, but we're going out to play to our own expectations and the result will take care of itself.”
- Head coach Katie Dowty
AGAINST THE ALMA MATER
Head coach Katie Dowty will coach against her old team as she is a former player and captain with the Crimson. After graduating in 2006, she moved on to the Beantown Rugby Club until 2011, where she served as a player, captain and fundraising chair.
WHAT’S AHEAD?
Following Saturday’s game with Harvard, the Big Green will have a weekend off before returning to action at Princeton on Saturday, Oct. 15. That game is set to begin at 11 a.m.