Normally, a match between the Dartmouth women's soccer team and the University of Vermont would be a mismatch on paper, but after the Catamounts' men's team shocked Dartmouth and left the only blemish on the Big Green's record, the seventh-ranked Dartmouth women were a bit more cautious.
And rightfully so, because Vermont led 1-0 at the half despite being outshot 11-3 in the first half. Melissa Roth '00 and Dartmouth rallied with three early goals in the second half in Burlington to move their record to 11-1-1 on the season. Vermont dropped to 6-7-0 on the campaign. With its ninth straight win, the 1998 squad broke the mark set five years ago for most consecutive wins.
The Catamounts' Colleen Farrell fed Megan Mattes in front of the Dartmouth goal in the 28th minute and Mattes knocked home a goal to make the score 1-0.It was the first time Dartmouth had trailed in over a month, a span of seven games.
In the process, Big Green All-American candidate for goalkeeper Kristin Luckenbill '01 had her school record-long streak of 732 consecutive scoreless minutes in net snapped.
Today was the first time Luckenbill had been scored upon since Dartmouth's 3-2 loss to William & Mary on September 20.This was only the second time an opponent had scored more than a goal against the Big Green.
Roth collected a loose Jessica Post '00 cross and knotted the score at one in the 54th minute before blasting a 25-yarder past Vermont netminder Joanna Engel 10 minutes later to give the Big Green their first lead of the afternoon.
Jamie Lang '02 scored in her third straight match on a cross from Jessica Prairie '99 to give the Big Green an insurance goal in the 70th minute.
The Big Green proved they were worthy of their new ranking in the national polls, jumping up one spot from eighth to seventh.
Dartmouth returns to its Ivy League schedule on Saturday morning in Ithaca, N.Y. before the big showdown against Harvard.
