Recently, it's been a tradition.
Dartmouth brings a women's team to Princeton for a big matchup each season, and the game ends up being an instant classic.
On Feb. 26, women's basketball, which was languishing near the cellar of the Ivy League, played perhaps its best game of the season to stun the league-leading Big Green, 64-51. And on Apr. 22, No. 2 women's lacrosse held a comfortable 13-10 lead with 1:58 to go against its nemesis for years — No. 9 Dartmouth — and the league title on the line. The Big Green scored three goals to tie the game and won in overtime, 16-13.
If Saturday's field hockey game can just be a shadow of the games that came before it, fans at 1952 Stadium should be in for a treat. Heavily favored No. 11 Princeton (4-0 overall, 2-0 Ivy League) and Dartmouth (4-0, 1-0) meet at 1 p.m. in an early-season battle for conference supremacy.
Michael Jackson
The Big Green have won back-to-back 2-1 thrillers in overtime against defending Ivy champion Brown and Maine. Lauren Welsh scored the gamewinning goals in both contests. She leads the squad with seven goals and 15 points. Another Dartmouth player to watch for is goalkeeper Brittany D'Augustine, who has 24 saves in the last two games.
"They are undefeated, but they've played a lighter schedule than us — not to minimize them," head coach Beth Bozman said. "They're more physical than we are in the middle."
"We have more people on the [National] Under-19 and Under-21 teams, so I think our emphasis is on skill and things like stickwork."
The Tigers — who have outshot their opponents this season 105-23 and outscored them 16-3 — will counter Dartmouth's aggressiveness with a number of dynamic scorers. Senior attack Hilary Matson has been the key player for Princeton this season. Matson came into the year with the most experience on the team under her belt in big games. To date, she has 11 points, coming from three goals and five assists, to lead the team in scoring.
The senior hasn't had to do it all by herself, however. Freshman attack Claire Miller (six points) has emerged as a dangerous threat, garnering Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors for her recent performances. Miller has three goals, tied for the team lead.
Another attack — senior Melanie Meerschwam — has added critical points for Princeton and her experience has also helped the youthful Tigers. Sophomore defender Emily Townsend is always a threat to score, and goalkeeper Kelly Baril has allowed just three goals in four games.
Score early and often
To win, the Tigers must establish themselves on offense early in the game. Letting the Big Green hang around late in the contest could open the door to another upset, like the lacrosse game from last year.
"We just need to play our game," Bozman said. "We don't need to match up against their defense."
But Princeton must improve on its most recent showing, a 3-1 defeat of Columbia in New York Wednesday night.
"[The game against Columbia] was one of the worst games that we've ever played," Bozman said. "I don't think anyone would disagree with that. We have to play better against Dartmouth."
The Tigers set their goal at the beginning of the season — to win the Ivy League and receive the automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Princeton knows not to take any conference opponent lightly, and the Big Green, coming off of a streak of emotional victories, could be especially dangerous.
"They'll be confident coming in here, and we know not to take anyone for granted," Bozman said.
A home win for the Tigers against one of the conference's solid teams would bring them ever closer to the ultimate goal of another Ivy crown.
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