On a beautiful New England Saturday the DWRC lost a back-and-forth battle to Princeton 24-31.

Princeton opened up the scoring and took a 12-0 lead 13 minutes into the first half. Dartmouth responded with a converted try by Karoline Walter ’13 off of a run by Ashley Afranie-Sakyi ’13. Princeton ended the half with a penalty kick after a long DWRC tryline stand and the Dartmouth team went into the half down 7-15.

In the second half, Princeton again opened up the scoring with a kick for points. Srumhalf Sandi Caalim ’13 set up Katie Gulemi ’11 and Afranie-Sakyi for tries to take the lead after quick penalty taps and excellent running lines. Dartmouth took advantage of another Princeton penalty and Afranie-Sakyi ran in another try on the outside giving Dartmouth a 24-18 advantage. Princeton used their kicking to gain territory and scored through the centers following a collapsed scrum on the 5-meter line. Princeton took the lead in the 66th minute after winning the ball back from Dartmouth in contact and went up 24-28. Princeton added another three points with a kick for points to put the score at 31-24. Despite a valiant effort, Dartmouth failed to get into the try zone and went scoreless in the final minutes.

Dartmouth’s still-developing first XV came up short against Princeton’s ball-hungry lineup but had outstanding performances by #9 Sandi Caalim and #8 Ginna Roach ’12. Utility player Maddy Sturm ’13 moved from second-row to wing, doing her fair-share of counter attacking and offensive support. Princeton controlled the breakdown on both sides and put pressure on Dartmouth’s centers, forcing the DWRC to get the ball out wide. After the game Princeton Coach Emil Signes described the match as “one of those games that you coach for. It was a phenomenal game both ways [and] we were delighted to win it.” Dartmouth Coach Deb Archambault ’85 agreed with the sentiment. “Both teams played with a lot of heart, and I am really proud of Dartmouth for competing so ferociously. At the end of the day, though, Princeton did a better job at the breakdown and managed to create and capitalize on more offensive opportunities than we did, and I give them credit for that.”

Dartmouth (1-2 Ivy) will play at Yale next Saturday.

Dartmouth 24- Princeton 31

Dartmouth Tries:
Ashley Afranie-Sakyi ’13 (2), Karoline Walter ’13, Katie Gulemi ‘11
Conversions:
Karoline Walter ’13 (2)