The women’s soccer team lost its final game of the season Saturday 1-0 at Cornell University. The Big Green (8-5-4, 3-1-3 Ivy) took the second-place spot in the Ivy League Saturday, four points behind Harvard University. Cornell (8-9-0, 2-5-0 Ivy) moved up from last place in the Ivy League to seventh with the win.
Dartmouth was undefeated in Ivy League play before Saturday’s loss and entered as the favored team. Had Dartmouth won and Harvard tied or lost their match against Columbia University Saturday, Dartmouth would have taken first place in the Ivy League. Harvard beat Columbia University 2-1 to seal its hold on the Ivy League title.
Dartmouth looked characteristically strong at the start, but Cornell soon put the Big Green on its heels.
The Big Red scored with less than two minutes to play in the first half. The ball soared to the upper 90, out of the reach of Dartmouth’s goalkeeper Tatiana Saunders ’15.
The second half featured stronger Dartmouth play, and the Big Green had several chances. Head coach Ron Rainey said the team’s gave a strong second-half response to Cornell’s goal.
But Cornell’s strong defensive play prevented Dartmouth from scoring an equalizer. The Big Green outshot the Big Red 13-8 for the game and 10-2 in the second half.
Jackie Friedman ’16 led the team with five shots, including three near the end of the match that nearly evened the match for the Big Green. Lucielle Kozlov ’16 tallied four shots of her own.
Rainey complimented Cornell on how the team possessed the ball in the first half and said that the Big Green would try to improve in the future by playing more aggressively earlier in the game.
“It’s definitely tough when you’re down a goal to try to bring that goal back, and definitely Cornell did a very good job defending,” Rainey said. “And we just weren’t able to tie it up.”
Captain Kendall Kraus ’15 said she was emotional after her final collegiate game.
“It’s obviously a bummer not to get the result in the last game,” Kraus said. “But we have so much to be proud about.”
Rainey, who has now finished his first season with Big Green, said he was proud of the way the season went.
“I think when you have a good season, it’s probably pretty normal to be greedy and try to figure out how to get that top spot,” Rainey said. “I think when we reflect on this season we’ll think about some of the really good moments and that will push us forward into next season.”
As a senior next year, Corey Delaney ’16 plans to take on more leadership responsibility for the squad. She and fellow junior Kozlov led the team in goals and points, earning 11 and 12 points respectively. Delaney complimented the seniors on the leadership and the talent they showed on and off the field.
Kraus cited last weekend’s win over Harvard as a career highlight.
“For me, it’s just been a really amazing experience, and it’s made me, and I think a lot of my teammates, physically and mentally tougher, which I think is something you can’t get without playing a team sport,” she said.
This was the Big Green’s second season as Ivy runners-up in the last three years. The team has not won the Ivy League since 2003.
This article has been revised to reflect the following correction:
Correction appended (Nov. 9, 2014)
Delaney has earned 11 points, not 12, on the season, Kozlov has earned 12, not 11, as the initial web version of the story indicated. The article has been corrected online.
