Dartmouth's injury woes this season continued as prop Kemper Pierce '08 went down with a knee injury in the game's first minute and was replaced by recent team addition Dan Siegfried '08.
Pierce's injury marked the fourth time in six weeks that Dartmouth opened the match by losing a tight-five starter to a season-ending injury.
The Crimson came out with fire early on and around the 10-minute mark the Big Green faltered on a counter-attack, kicking the ball into the hands of a Harvard defender providing pressure. The Crimson jumped on the loose ball and seconds later had tallied their first score and conversion, putting Harvard ahead 7-0.
Dartmouth's inexperience continued to plague the squad in the first half as only a few minutes later it lost a lineout at the midline and was whistled for a penalty in phase play which resulted in a dramatic shift in field position in Harvard's favor.
After a 10-meter lineout led to a maul, Harvard touched down again to take a very early 14-0 lead.
Finally, the Dartmouth offense began to feel its own rhythm as its speedy back line was able to find a few holes in the Harvard defense, ripping off long line-breaks which were squandered as a result of poor handling and slow support. Dartmouth's kicking game, usually quite reliable, also suffered this weekend and, in the 15th minute, the first of a handful of sure kicks sailed wide, robbing Dartmouth of an early answer.
Dartmouth would not be deterred, as only minutes later it drew some blood of its own, stealing a Harvard scrum on the Harvard 5 meter and turning the gained possession into points, as John Wilkens '06 found co-captain Aziz Sayigh '07 for the Green's first try under the posts.
The conversion from dead-on missed, however, and Harvard maintained a 9-point lead. The Big Green got those lost points back just two minutes later, as Drew Jennings '08 capitalized on a Harvard penalty and nailed the kick to make the score 14-8 Harvard.
The last score of the half would make the deficit a bit more substantial, as Harvard struck again in the 35th minute. After a lost scrum and a cheeky kick from Harvard's eight-man, Dartmouth was again on its heels as the Crimson had another 10-meter lineout.
After two quick phases, Harvard's backline moved the ball to the outside center, who broke through Dartmouth's defensive line to make the score 21-8 at halftime.
The first half would prove to host the bulk of the game's scoring, as Dartmouth's defense solidified as the game progressed.
The offense continued to struggle, however, and failed to capitalize on repeated line-breaks and individual efforts that sliced hole after hole in the Harvard defenses.
Poor handling and pressured decision-making proved to be the downfall of the Dartmouth attack, as it could not translate its raw athleticism into points.
Midway through the half, Dartmouth's prospects looked up for a moment when Jennings took possession and went screaming down the sideline off multiphase possession, finding the try zone in the corner to pull the Big Green to within eight.
Harvard answered right back, as it had all game, putting pressure on Dartmouth's back three with high up-and-under kicks and deep kicks into the corner.
The Crimson tallied its final score in this fashion as back-up Doug Raicek '08 had trouble handling a tough bounce on a deep kick. The ball caromed oddly, finally coming to rest in the hands of the Harvard pressure who took it to the house, putting Harvard ahead for good 28-13.
In the final minutes, the Dartmouth attack continued to decimate the Harvard defense with long line breaks, but again and again failed to capitalize, even managing two knock-ons in the Harvard try-zone.
The hard-fought 28-13 loss eliminated Dartmouth from National Championship contention.
"We had more than enough chances to win the game, but, in the end, we just didn't capitalize on them," Tom Manzo '07 said. "The loss definitely hurts, but the DRFC will move on and become a better team for it. We still have meaningful games to play and we will be ready when we see Harvard in the Ivy League tournament."
The season is not yet over, as the Big Green now looks forward to an opportunity to play long-time competitor the University of Massachusetts during this coming week.
The 1 p.m. kickoff on Oct. 21 will be the last one to take place on Brophy Field in Hanover this season, and the team seems intensely dedicated to re-establishing dominance on its home domain.
The following week, Dartmouth will look to finish off the season with a win at Northeastern University in Boston.
