CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – The Dartmouth women’s soccer team held took an early lead on Ivy League leader, Harvard, but it wasn’t enough as the Crimson secured a 2-1 win with a late goal on Saturday (Oct. 29) at Harvard’s Soldier Field Stadium.

 Dartmouth (3-12-0, 1-5-0 Ivy League) and Harvard were deadlocked at 1-1 for the majority of the second half before Harvard’s Peyton Johnson nailed the game-winner off a free kick from 20 yards outside the box with 10 seconds remaining in regulation.

 “We played a great game,” said head coach Theresa Wagner. “We had lots of offensive chances, but much like the rest of our season, we were unlucky not to get the result at the end of the game.”

 Junior defender Aurelia Solomon (Washington, D.C.) gave the Big Green the early 1-0 advantage just 10 minutes into the game. After picking up the ball in Dartmouth’s defensive third, Solomon dribbled through the Harvard defense and took at shot from 25 yards out, which landed in the top shelf for her first goal of the season.

 The Big Green spread the offense out with junior midfielder Emma Brush (Grosse Pointe Park, Mich.) leading the way with three shots while Amanda Flugstad-Clarke (Morristown, N.J.) tallied two shots on goal.  Freshman goalkeeper Tatiana Saunders (Rye, N.Y.) made one save in 90 minutes of action in goal.

 The teams battled throughout the remainder of the first half with the neither team dominating the run of play. Both teams collected five shots in the first frame and each had one corner kick. Harvard’s leading scorer, Melanie Baskind, picked up her eighth goal of the season to tied the game in the 44th minute of action.

 The second half featured even play between the Big Green and Crimson. Harvard held a slight, 9-7 advantage in shots but Dartmouth made Harvard goalkeeper, Bethany Kanten, work; forcing her to make three saves in the second frame.

 Flugstad-Clarke had a shot to end the 1-1 stalemate in the 63rd minute of action with a shot that forced Kanten out of the net and to make a save on the shot. Brush also had a chance to score for Dartmouth just minutes later but Kanten stymied the shot.

 The Big Green intensified the offensive pressure in the final 10 minutes, looking for the equalizer. In the final minutes, junior forward Libby Hamlin (Vernon, Conn.) had a shot that was saved, while teammates Brush and Tasha Wilkins (Portland, Ore.) also had shots that were blocked by the Harvard defense before the Crimson scored following a Dartmouth foul.

 Meg Casscells-Hamby and Elizabeth Weisman led Harvard with three shots while Kanten made four saves in the contest.

 Dartmouth concludes the 2011 season when they welcome Cornell to Burnham Field on Saturday (Nov. 5). Game time is set for 2:30 p.m. The Big Green will also honor the 2011 Senior Class with a ceremony.

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