Up 3-0 in second half, F. Hockey drops a heartbreaker in OT

Dartmouth's junior midfielder Weze Shorts scored the final goal in regulation and again four minutes into overtime. Youth overcame experience as the Penn field hockey team suffered a devastating 4-3 overtime defeat to Dartmouth on Youth Day at Franklin Field yesterday. Dartmouth (3-0, 1-0 Ivy League), which trailed the Quakers (2-1, 0-1) by as much as 3-0, came alive midway through the second half, eventually forcing overtime by tying the score at 3-3 in the final minute of regulation on a goal by junior midfielder Weze Shorts. It was Shorts who again found the goal four minutes into overtime to give the Big Green their second overtime victory of the early season. "They took control of the game and we didn't," Penn coach Val Cloud said. "We panicked and didn't play smart. We weren't executing, we were allowing them to control the ball. Our reactions were bad, and our decisions were bad." Penn, which started five seniors as opposed to Dartmouth's three, seemingly dominated the first 55 minutes of regulation behind two goals from senior forward Tara Childs, one gold from senior midfielder Erica Childs and solid goalkeeping from junior Sarah Dunn. "We were up, we just wanted to maintain our lead and we were playing a little too defensively I think," Penn co-captain Michele Canuso-Bedesem said. "Once they scored we just got tense. We were letting them take control of the game and they took advantage." Compounding Dartmouth's lack of senior presence on the field was freshman goalkeeper Brittany D'Augustine who was making only her third start. Despite Dartmouth's inexperience, the Quakers were unable to finish off the Big Green. "This is the most disappointing loss I've ever experienced," Cloud said. "There is no excuse when you have five seniors on the field and somebody can't take control and composure out there." Tension ran high after Dartmouth tied the game in the final minute of regulation. Having already played one overtime game, Dartmouth came out with a greater urgency than the Quakers in the sudden-death overtime. "When we went down 3-0, our backs were against the wall," Dartmouth coach Julie Dayton said. "I felt pretty good about our overtime team. I think we're experienced there, and I think the team is confident. It's all mental." The four Dartmouth goals, which all came late in the second half, were scored by sophomore midfielder Kristen Leadbeater, sophomore forward Lauren Scopaz and Shorts, who scored both the tying and the winning goals. "We knew Penn would be well-coached, we know they have some good players, we know they are incredibly tough to beat on Franklin Field," Dayton said. "We had done a lot of preparation for Penn. We had a week to prepare for this game." The Quakers have three days to regroup from this devastating Ivy League loss before they have to play visiting Lafayette Wednesday. While the level of competition from Lafayette will not compare to Dartmouth, it will be important for the Quakers to regain some confidence by having a strong showing. "Maybe we just thought that we had it in the bucket, but I tried to tell them that we didn't," Cloud said. "I've seen Dartmouth play, and they play the kind of game that will get them back into games. They played well together and they deserve a lot of credit." For one day at least, the youth of Dartmouth overcame the experience of the Red and Blue.