When Penn last beat Dartmouth, junior attacker Rachel Manson was four years old and "had a lacrosse stick around but I wasn't really playing," she said.
Now 20, Manson led No. 6 Penn to its first victory over the No. 14 Big Green since April 14, 1991, scoring three goals for her fourth straight hat trick and notching an assist in a 13-8 victory Saturday at Franklin Field. The win occurred exactly 16 years after the last win against Dartmouth.
"This is a huge win for us," Manson said. "I'm just speechless now ... 13-8 is a decisive margin. We knew we had a lot to prove to Dartmouth since they'll always think they're better than us, [because of the streak]. It was nice to shove it down their throats."
Not all games over the last 16 years have been blowouts. In both 2004 and 2005 the Quakers lost by just two goals. And ironically, before the 16 game streak, the Quakers held an advantage over the Big Green, winning seven of the first 12 meetings between the two.
So what did the team do differently on Saturday than in the past?
"This year has been about steadily getting better," Penn coach Karin Brower said. "We're getting our confidence up, and the team came into today's game believing that they were the better team.
"The defense came up with some huge stops, and the offense had another gallant effort. They started to faceguard [Penn attacker] Chrissy Muller; she still had a goal but the rest of [the team] stepped up. It doesn't matter who you try to faceguard on our team."
Beyond the streak, Penn's win has more immediate implications. With another one over Princeton this Wednesday at home, the Quakers (11-1, 5-0 Ivy League) will clinch at least a share of their first Ivy League championship since 1982, as well as a bid to their first NCAA tournament since 1984.
The significance was duly noted by Quakers fans, as a larger-than-average crowd attended the game, including Penn Athletic Director Steve Bilsky.
But the Big Green (7-4, 3-2) dominated the first seven minutes, scoring three goals before Penn could get on the board.
"Dartmouth played pretty well," Brower said. "It was the first time all year we came back after being down early. I think [we] had a little jitters," at first.
After Dartmouth senior midfielder Jen Pittman scored the Big Green's third goal six and a half minutes in, Brower called a timeout to regroup the team.
"We decided to take off a faceguard," she said. Also, "we talked to them and said they had to slide more and just settle down."
Despite the slow start, the Quakers thoroughly dominated the box score, outshooting Dartmouth 40-20, causing more turnovers, 12-7, and earned more ground balls, 19-9. Penn's midfield also did well, with just one failed clear against nine for Dartmouth. The 40 shots were a season high for the Quakers.
The win was just another historic victory for the Quakers in a season that already has produced plenty of them.
"This win was another notch on our quest to prove ourselves," senior tri-captain Muller said.
Come Wednesday against Princeton, the Quakers will get another chance to do just that.
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