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Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview: Dartmouth

We’re breaking down all the NCAA D1 teams one by one. Welcome to the Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Previews! We are now at teams starting with the letter ‘D’,  and Dartmouth, located in Hanover, NH, is up for Preview…

Photo from Dartmouth Men’s Lacrosse website.

2012 saw Dartmouth go 5-9, but it wasn’t a season without bright spots. The Big Green got wins over Colgate, Sacred Heart, Penn, Holy Cross, and Vermont, and played six top 20 teams. Unfortunately, they lost five of those matches. A three goal loss to UNC and two 2 goal losses to Yale and Cornell boded well, but big losses to Duke and Princeton raised questions.

In 2013, Dartmouth once again faces their Ivy League foes, and they see games with Colgate, Vermont, UNC, and Holy Cross make their way back onto the slate. They also face Georgetown, Robert Morris, and Hartford. The Ivy will be a tough road, and a couple of big OOC wins would do wonders for their shot at an at-large bid, which they may need, as the Ivy is looking tough.

Last year’s leading scorers, Kip Dooley and Drew Tunney, are both gone, but Chris Costabile and Nikki Dysenchuck, amongst a couple of others, are both back to put up points. Thankfully, the defense returns some talent as well, and Pat Flynn and Austin Cohen should provide some stability. Fergus Campbell is gone in goal, but Bernie Susskind has potential to step in and start as a Senior. The Big Green will need someone to emerge as a serious keeper if they want to make a big jump, otherwise it could be another 5-9 type season.

I hate to count a team out this early, and I won’t do it with Dartmouth yet, but it is tempting. It’s not so much a knock on Dartmouth as it is a testament to the depth the Ivy is bringing this year. The league is looking very competitive, and many of the teams could be contending for Top 10-30 status. Princeton, Cornell, and Yale all look very strong. Brown, Penn and Harvard look ready to make runs if some things fall into place. And this puts Dartmouth in a tough position.

They won’t emerge from the Ivy unscathed, but can they make the playoffs and then go on a run? If the Big Green can put together a season where they improve each week, I’d say maybe. Like I said, it’s not an easy time to improve in the Ivy.

Click HERE to see Alphabetical 2013 NCAA D1 Preview posts for Air Force, Albany, Army, Bellarmine, Binghamton, Brown, Bryant, Bucknell, Canisius, Colgate, and Cornell!

Also check out Crosse Clicks: College Edition for links, videos, photos and more.