The Big Green, (10-6-1, 4-3 Ivy) which closed the regular season out with a four-game win streak, will now prepare to make its fourth consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament, as it opens with a first-round matchup at No. 13 Monmouth University on Thursday.
Dartmouth was eliminated in the first round of the tournament last year in heartbreaking fashion, falling 2-1 in extra-time to Boston College. Should the Big Green advance, it would face ninth-seeded Notre Dame University in South Bend, Ind., on Sunday.
In a tension-packed game at Burnham Field on Saturday afternoon, Dartmouth did what it needed to do to please the selectors, namely defeating a quality team in the Brown Bears.
"They're always a hardworking team," head coach Jeff Cook said. "My entire tenure at Dartmouth, it's always been a meaningful game."
Dartmouth used the win to leapfrog Brown and finish third in the Ivy League standings, a game back of the second-placed No. 18 University of Pennsylvania. For the second consecutive year, the Big Green finished with a 10-6-1 record and a 4-3 record in Ivy League contests.
No. 11 Princeton University won the Ivy League championship with a perfect 7-0 conference record. The Tigers have won 12 games in a row.
After a scoreless first half, Adam Rice '12 netted the crucial goal in the 73rd minute, putting the Big Green on top. Walker Linares '11 launched one of his trademark long thrown-ins to Rice who headed the ball in, sending the Burnham Field crowd into a frenzy.
Brown forward Austin Mandel almost had an equalizer two minutes later, but Dartmouth goalkeeper Lyman Missimer '11 was there to preserve his second consecutive shutout. Of Dartmouth's 17 games this season, only three have been decided by more than one goal.
Missimer took over as starter from Sean Donovan '13 after a loss to the University of Pennsylvania on Oct. 16.
"Lyman, in his last season, was working hard in practice and deserved an opportunity," Cook said. "He suffered a concussion at [the University of] Vermont, and I felt he deserved another chance."
The win pushed Dartmouth's home record to 7-2 this season, and Dartmouth is now 28-5-1 at Burnham Field since the facility opened.
"We've been so appreciative of the support of the students and the community," Cook said. "It honestly is like having an extra player."
The Big Green previously won its penultimate game of the season at Cornell University on Nov. 6, with the lone goal coming from co-captain Andrew Olsen '11 to defeat the Big Red, 1-0.
After two come-from-behind wins over Harvard University and the University of New Hampshire, Dartmouth scored first against the Big Red and was able to protect its lead throughout the rest of the contest. It was the first time the Big Green had scored first since an Oct. 9 matchup with Yale University a span of six games.
Just 11 minutes into the game, Olsen received a cross from Maarten van Ess'12 inside the six-yard box and finished it past keeper Scott Brody of Cornell (4-8-5, 0-5-2 Ivy), putting the Big Green on top.
"It's very difficult to win on the road, and we have a four game winning streak due in large part to the team spirit that the players have displayed," Cook said. "Nick Pappas [12] and Adam Rice are players that have come back into the team in this recent winning streak and contributed. They've done a great job keeping a positive attitude."
Dartmouth travels to West Long Branch, N.J., on Thursday for a noon kickoff against Monmouth in an NCAA opening-round game. The final will be played on December 12 at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
