Despite the loss, co-captain Ashley Hines '09 saw the game as a good effort against a difficult team.
"We came out really strong," Hines said. "It was 0-0 after the first half. They scored three goals, but we scored with a minute and a half left and had a lot of really good challenges at the net, and so it was still really positive."
The Big Green (3-9, 2-2 Ivy) made a significant offensive push in the last minutes, coming to a head when Meghan Everett '12 posted her first collegiate goal, tipping in a flying pass from Kelly Hood '12 with 1:20 left to play.
Hood was named Ivy League co-rookie of the week last week and currently leads Dartmouth with five goals and 12 points this season. She also sits at second place in both individual shots and shots per game in the Ivy League tables.
The Big Green defense was strong in the first half, keeping the ball out of its own net even though the Cardinals took 10 shots, four of which were on target. Big Green goalkeeper Meagan Vakiener '12 was able to turn each of the shots away keeping the score level at 0-0.
Louisville (10-5, 4-1 Big East) opened the second half with a quick goal after five minutes and tallied two more before the Big Green responded with its single goal.
The first of the sequence was a shot from outside the circle by the Cardinals' Caitlin Collins, tipped in by Kayla May. Less than 10 minutes later, Lauren Schaefer made an unassisted tally. Finally, at the 67-minute mark, Jenna Ahern redirected a shot by Nicole Youman into the net.
Vakiener made five saves on the day, matching Louisville's goalkeeper Heather Bustanoby, who also deflected five attempts. Only one of Vakiener's saves, however, came in the second half when the Cardinals offense found better scoring opportunities.
In her description of the game, Hines focused on the team's progress, especially after the disappointing loss to Yale on Saturday.
"We were a lot more connected, and we communicated a lot better today," Hines said. "A freshman, Meghan Everett, scored, and all of our forwards got rotated in and did a great job."
Over the whole game, the Cardinals held a 17-10 shot advantage and 4-2 margin in penalty corners over Dartmouth.
Hines cited the team's need to take its positive momentum coming off this game into their subsequent contests.
"We took a huge step forward playing Louisville so well," Hines said. "And I think we just need to keep that confidence and make sure that we keep progressing."
The Big Green will face Bryant University (1-13, 0-3 Northeast) at home on Wednesday, Oct. 22.
Ivy League play will resume for the Big Green against Columbia (9-3, 1-3 Ivy) in New York City on Sunday, Oct. 26. Dartmouth sits in the third spot in the Ivy League conference, tied with the University of Pennsylvania (3-10, 2-2 Ivy) and Harvard (6-6, 2-2 Ivy). The Lions sit just behind the pair, currently tied with Yale for sixth place.
