W. Lax loses to Big Green

It is often said games are won in the last two minutes of each half -- a close game can be blown open if a team isn't careful. Saturday at Dartmouth, the Penn women's lacrosse team proved that axiom true once again. Unfortunately for the Quakers, it was the Big Green that took control and gained the victory, 10-4. Initially, things were looking good for Penn (6-4, 2-2 Ivy League). The 12th-ranked Quakers, winners of three straight and five of their last six heading into Saturday's game, "played a super first half," according to coach Anne Sage. With two minutes remaining in the half against ninth-ranked Dartmouth (3-3, 1-1), the score was deadlocked at 3. Penn was looking to go into intermission tied and come out strong in the second half. But suddenly things fell apart. The Big Green struck for three straight goals before halftime. What had been a tight game quickly became a commanding 6-3 lead for Dartmouth, one from which the Quakers weren't able to recover. "That was really the turning point in the game," Sage said. "We had an opportunity to go into the half with the score even." Instead, Penn was down three. Yet the Quakers were not fazed by what occurred at the end of the first half. "It just happened so fast," goalie Alexis Seth said. "It wasn't really in the flow of the game. I don't think it had any effect on us." The main factor that limited Penn's performance in the second half was the condition of Chase Field. Bad weather turned the field into a muddy mess (so bad that the game was called with 10 minutes left) and the Quakers, an artificial turf team, couldn't adjust. "The footing was very bad," Sage said. "We couldn't execute. It was very, very sloppy. We played in mud." The conditions especially affected the Penn offense, which seemed snake bitten by the muddy turf. "We were still executing, we were still playing well," Seth said. "But every time our attack was set up in front of their goal, someone would fall down or something would happen. It was almost like there was a hex on us: 'You will not win this game.' " Of course, Dartmouth also deserved some credit for the win. The Big Green only outshot Penn by an 18-15 count, yet it was able to score six more goals than the Quakers. Lauren Holleran (2 goals, 1 assist), the leading scorer in the Ivy League, led a balanced Dartmouth attack in which five players scored at least two points. The Big Green was able to take direct advantage of Penn's missed shots and create its own scoring opportunities. "We didn't put the ball in the cage," Sage said. "That let them get into their transition game. They were very fast going from the defensive end to the offensive end of the field. The difference is that they put the ball in the cage." The outcome put a serious dent in Penn's hopes for an Ivy crown. With only two Ancient Eight games left (at undefeated and third-ranked Princeton Wednesday and against Brown Saturday), the Quakers are hoping for a good finish. "I don't think we'll be in direct contention anymore," Seth said. "We could definitely finish up strong if we win against Princeton and Brown." Even if Penn can win its two remaining Ivy contests, the Quakers will most likely need outside help if they hope to climb back into the race. It remains to be seen if Penn's chances are buried in the New Hampshire mud.