The term 'moral victory' no longer has any meaning for the women's soccer team.
That's what happens when your team is ranked 18th in the country, fresh off an eight-game winning streak and is searching for an NCAA postseason bid. The only victories that begin to matter are the ones when you outscore your opponent.
So there was no wild celebrating for the Big Green yesterday on Chase Field following a 0-0 overtime tie with the nation's eighth ranked team, the University of Massachusetts.
Dartmouth wanted more.
"We're not satisfied with the tie," Megan Owens '96 said. "I wanted to convert [one of our shots] so badly."
Coach Steve Swanson echoed Owens' statement and added, "That's the kind of mentality we'll need going down the stretch."
The Big Green outshot the Minutewomen,19-12, and had several good scoring chances throughout the game.
Massachusetts goalkeeper Brianna Scurry made two tough saves in regulation off shots from Brittanny Boulanger '95, one time leaping high to snag the ball, then later diving to knock away the shot.
In the second 15 minute overtime period, Dartmouth had two of its best scoring opportunities. With nine minutes remaining, sophomore Kate Andrew's diving header off of a beautiful cross from Mya Mangawang '95 went just wide of the goal.
Four minutes later, Melissa McBean '97 got her head on a direct kick but sent the ball wide left. Owens was there, but her shot rolled right along the goal line and no Dartmouth player was able to tap the ball in.
The Big Green defensive corps of Owens, Holly Thomas '97, Jess Andre '94 and Jen Ratay '97 was its usual steady self. They repeatedly thwarted the Massachusetts attack and provided offensive support with timely downfield runs.
Goalkeeper Michelle Conroy '95 showed why she's tied for fourth in the nation with a 0.45 goals against average as she made several key saves in the waning minutes.
"Overall, I was happy with the way we played," Owens said. "I thought that we worked well together as a team. We knew we could play with them, since we only lost to them 1-0 last year."
"We really fought today," Swanson said. "We were a little tentative offensively, though and we didn't go after them with our usual conviction. But Massachusetts is a tough team, one of the best in the country and they were definitely tested today."
The Big Green now looks ahead to its showdown on Saturday with Cornell in Ithaca, N.Y. The two teams are tied atop the Ivy standings with identical 4-0 records.
Dartmouth is also thinking about a possible bid for NCAA postseason play. The top four teams in the Eastern region qualify for the playoffs and currently the Big Green are ranked fourth.
