Men's Lacrosse Upends Harvard

By James Mills and Peter Fritz | Wednesday, May 14, 1997

Despite a trying season for the men's lacrosse team (5-7, 2-4 Ivy), the Indians ended on an up note, upsetting Harvard 14-13 and defeating UNH in back-to-back home games.

The Harvard game was one of the Indians' best efforts of the season. The lead changed several times during the contest, and it seemed as though the Indians were in trouble going into the fourth quarter. Attacker Brian Merritt '97 had made the first four goals that kept the Indians' hopes alive. With only five seconds left in regulation play, Merritt scored his fifth goal of the day giving the Indians their second win in the Ivy League this year. Merritt's five goals on the day make him the seventh highest scorer in Dartmouth history with 144 points.

New Hampshire, although not as strong a team as Harvard, still posed a threat to Dartmouth. The Indians had a flat start, seeming unready to play. While the rest of team attempted to pull themselves together during the first half, the Indians relied on the inspired play of goalie Andrew Dance '99, who stopped 22 shots on goal during the course of the game. Dance's presence was felt throughout the game, his saves providing the time for the Indians to pull themselves together.

Luckily for the Indians, the game was a tale of two halves. After holding on to a 5-5 tie at the end of the second quarter, the Indians exploded. They proceeded to outscore the Wildcats in the second half by 7-2 to earn the victory.

Men's Tennis

For only the second time in the men's tennis team's history, the Indians took a share of the Ivy League title, splitting the trophy with Harvard.

The Indians won their first title in the 57-year history of the EITA championship in 1993. This week's victories are all the more impressive because of the relatively young players on the team, including a number of '00s and '99s. The Indians' impressive final record, (8-1 EITA, 16-4 overall), earned them a chance to play in the NCAA championships.

Although the weekend started on a down note with a disappointing loss to the Crimson, the Indians won games versus Navy and Cornell to hold on to their share of the championship. Gabe Sauerhoff '99 defeated Navy's Rhys Cho in what may be considered the team's most important match of the season. With the team score tied 3-3, the two players faced off with Dartmouth's championship hopes on the line. Sauerhoff faced elimination twice before winning, 5-7, 7-5, 7-5. In the earlier Harvard defeat, all seven spots except Co-captain Avery Rueb '98 lost their matches. Rueb's victory completed his near perfect season of 21-1.

In contrast to their Harvard defeat and their hard fought victory against Navy, the Indians dominated Cornell, 7-0, earning a share of the title. After the relatively easy win versus Cornell, the Indians were able to relax and enjoy their championship run.

But only for a short while. The Indians are now preparing for the NCAA tournament, and a rematch against the Crimson.

Women's Lacrosse

Indians women's lacrosse finished their season with a pair of mixed results. In the first game against UVM on Wednesday everything went well for the Indians. Dartmouth dominated play, beating the Catamounts, 19-4. In the subsequent game against the nation's top-ranked team, Maryland, the Terrapins outclassed the Indians, 16-5.

Dartmouth's showing on Wednesday against a feisty UVM squad was impressive. Only 29 seconds into the game, Weze Shorts '99 scored the first goal of the unending number of goals that would follow. The Indians scored twice more before the Catamounts got on the board. Dartmouth then seemed to slack off, not scoring for 10 minutes. Dartmouth proceeded to run off five goals in five minutes, breaking the Catamounts. Although Vermont scored twice more before the half ended, they returned only to succumb to a ten goal Indian assault.

Unfortunately the Saturday game against top-ranked Maryland did not yield the same level of success. The Indians found themselves playing in harsh conditions against a dominating foe. Dartmouth kept Maryland in check during the first half, but as the game wore on they were unable to fend off the superior offense of the Terrapins, falling 16-5. The Terrapins allowed only one goal in the second half dominating both defensive and offensive games. The Indians showed promise with scores from Kate Graw '00 and Jacque Weitzel '00 bringing the score to 7-4 near the 28-minute mark, but with 1:27 left in the half the Terrapins scored three additional goals bringing the lead to 10-4 at the half. In the second half Maryland demonstrated it's superior defense allowing only one goal while scoring six more. Dartmouth's scoring was led by Graw and Weitzel.

Men's Lacrosse Upends Harvard

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