Penn women's lacrosse knocks off Dartmouth for Ivy League Tournament revenge

Nothing is sweeter than revenge, especially when that revenge comes in the form of an Ivy League Tournament win.

At Columbia's Rocco B. Commisso Stadium, Penn women's lacrosse knocked off No. 2 Dartmouth in a narrow 15-14 victory, handing the Big Green its first loss since April 6.

In the regular season battle between these two sides, Dartmouth (11-5, 6-1 Ivy) emerged victorious by a 15-11 score, but the No. 3 seed Red and Blue (12-4, 5-2 Ivy) avenged the defeat on Friday in a full-team win.

"I felt like we were winning a lot of games up until the Dartmouth game where we weren't getting better, we were making a lot of the same mistakes," coach Karin Corbett said. "Since that game, we've been getting better, so we came out today focused and we knew what we needed to do."

Five goals from junior midfielder Erin Barry propelled the Quakers, who raced out to an 8-4 lead before the Big Green clawed back to a one-goal deficit at halftime. Barry's final goal would be the last push the Red and Blue needed to stay on top, as they held the majority of possession in the final minutes to keep Dartmouth at bay.

"[Barry] got [Midfielder] of the League this year and I think today she showed why," Corbett said. "She always plays with a lot of fight and she's really the heart of this team. She really wanted this today, you could tell."

Junior attacker Gabby Rosenzweig reset her own record for single-season points with 86, tallying three goals and four assists in the win. Sophomore attacker Zoe Belodeau also added a hat-trick, with the aforementioned trio combining for all but four of Penn's goals.

Also vital in the contest was junior goalie Mikaila Cheeseman, whose 13 saves kept the Quakers on top and limited key Dartmouth runs.

The second half started out much like the first, with the Quakers in control.

The Red and Blue again stretched their advantage, taking leads of 10-7 and 13-9, but each time the Big Green would respond, cutting the deficits to a single goal. As the New Hampshire side edged back into the contest, its bench and decently sized cheering section fueled them on.

But Penn ultimately wanted it more, doing what it took to remain on top.

Up just one at 14-13 with under three minutes left, Barry smashed home her fifth and final goal to double the Red and Blue's lead. And although the Big Green pulled one back and eventually took their goalie out in place of an attacker, their desperate efforts came to nothing. 

As the clocked ticked down, the Quakers could heave a sigh of relief as Dartmouth's comeback bid came up just short. 

With the win, the Red and Blue will face No. 1 Princeton — responsible for their second Ivy loss this season — in Sunday's championship at 1:30 p.m. on the same field.

"Princeton obviously beat us the last time and our team would love the chance to play them again," Corbett said. "We know the team well and we've prepared for them before, so it's really gonna come down to who wants it more on Sunday."

After exacting revenge for one of their two Ivy losses this season, the Quakers are ready to complete the job in two days.