The Dartmouth and Princeton University women’s soccer teams faced off this weekend in Hanover for the first time since Oct. 5, 2019. The Big Green fell to Princeton’s squad 3-0 after a series of goals all within 15 minutes of each other in the first half. The Big Green rallied in the second half, taking 3 strong shots on goal, but was unable to find the back of the net and get on the scoreboard.
The loss puts Dartmouth at 4-4-1 on the season, while Princeton is now 9-1-1. Senior forward Izzy Glennon ’22 felt that the score did not reflect how close the game actually was.
“We knew going into it that Princeton was going to be a really good team,” Glennon said. “I think we were prepared for that, but they capitalized on some mistakes we made in the first half. We fought really hard in the second half. I wish we had the opportunity to play these teams twice.”
Due to the structure of Ivy League competition, teams only play each other once a season. Losing to Brown University last weekend and Princeton this weekend has put the Big Green at 0-2 in league play this year after a promising start to the season. The Dartmouth squad has faced some adversity since the end of non-conference play, including a 4-1 loss last weekend against Brown in which the Big Green’s starting goalkeeper, Charlotte Cyr ’23, injured her finger. Until Princeton, Cyr had played full minutes in each of the Big Green’s games this season, only allowing a total of 13 goals over the course of nine games.
With Cyr out, the door opened for Emily Hardy ’24 to step up. Hardy was informed Monday that she would be making her first career start for Dartmouth’s squad.
“As [Cyr’s] friend it was really sad to see that happen to her, but as a player I’m excited to take this opportunity to step up,” Hardy said. “Backup goalie is a strange position, anything can happen and you could be going in and playing 90 minutes.”
Hardy rose to the challenge against a tough Princeton squad, recording five saves throughout the contest, two in the first half and three in the second.
“There were some nerves in the first half but I settled in the second half,” Hardy said. “The team was very supportive in trusting me and telling me to trust myself. I’m looking to build on that next weekend.”
On a similar note, midfielder Aleena Seales ’25 got her first major minutes of her college career, taking the field for 23 in total.
“I was pretty stoked to be in the game, so I was a bit surprised and nervous because I was never put in that situation before in college and I wasn't sure how I was going to adapt,” Seales said. “It’s been a big adjustment to the intensity of college, but as the weeks go by and I’m with my teammates it becomes more manageable because we’re going through it together.”
As the Big Green gets deeper into the season, the younger players have been stepping up. With Cyr expected to be out for the remainder of the season, Hardy is expected to fill her role as starter. From Glennon’s perspective, she could not be prouder of her younger teammate.
“As an older player and a teammate, you dream of your younger teammates stepping up,” Glennon said. “I talked with [Hardy] a week ago about how when I was a freshman, I wasn’t getting as many minutes as I wanted but I had to be ready, and [Hardy] is always ready.”
Glennon also offered Seales veteran advice.
“[Glennon] said you always want to stay prepared because the moment you aren’t is the moment you’ll be needed so we always need to be mentally checked into the game,” Seales said.
Next up for the Big Green is a two-week Ivy League road stand as they go head-to-head against Yale University on Oct. 9 in New Haven and the University of Pennsylvania on Oct. 16 in Philadelphia.
“Going forward, we need to pick our heads up and focus on one game at a time,” Glennon said. “We’ve gone into games a bit reactive and have made some silly mistakes. If we can go in and play our game and score first, instead of responding to a goal, we can set the pace of the game. Two losses in a row is hard, but things can change quickly. Anything is possible, and we need to be ready to win.”
