Utah entered last Saturday’s matchup at Dartmouth having dropped their last four games and looking to get back on track with a massive road matchup against another stellar East Coast opponent. Despite a 9-8 lead with 7:52 remaining in the fourth quarter for the Utes, a three-goal burst to end the game for the Big Green helped hand Utah their fifth straight loss, 11-9.
First Half
After a scoreless game last week against Syracuse, Ryan Stines opened up the Utah scoring with a beautiful rip that found the top right corner of the net, giving the Utes an early 1-0 lead. Dartmouth had an answer, however, as three straight goals to end the first quarter pushed the Big Green ahead 3-1 in a pivotal matchup for both teams.
The story in the second quarter for Utah was freshman attack Luke McNamara, who took matters into his own hands, finding the back of the net three consecutive times throughout the second quarter to push the Utes back in front, 4-3, with 3:01 left to go in the first half. Dartmouth would not go away as they were able to even up the score at four goals apiece headed into halftime in a first half that saw both teams defensive prowess on full display.
Second Half
McNamara had the hot hand down the stretch of the first half, but Junior Attack Zachary White started to catch fire as he was able to score three goals of his own, continually answering the Dartmouth offensive attack. With the score tied up at 7-7 thanks to the heroics of White, McNamara found himself open once again as he gave Utah an 8-7 lead at the end of the third quarter.
Dartmouth opened up the fourth quarter with a new sense of urgency, tying the game back up at 8 goals apiece less than one minute into the final quarter. With McNamara and White garnering plenty of attention from the Big Green defense, new faces would need to step up if the Utes wanted to snap their losing streak.
With 7:52 remaining in the game, Karson Sparks got into the scoring action with his first collegiate goal to push Utah back in front, 9-8. The final seven minutes and change were all Dartmouth, however, as consecutive man-up goals followed by another score off of a ricochet in the front of the net gave the Big Green a comfortable 11-9 lead with 1:50 remaining in the game.
A common theme for Utah this year has been the inability to close out games, and that was once again on full display today as the Utes could not find an answer for the Big Green throughout a majority of the final quarter. Dartmouth’s defense was impeccable all day, especially down the stretch of this game, as the Utes could not find a way to mount a comeback and would eventually fall, 11-9.
What’s Next for the Utes?
All is not lost for head coach Andrew McMinn‘s team, as a strategically difficult non-conference schedule has helped prepare Utah to once again run the table in the ASUN conference and earn a spot in the NCAA tournament. The Utes will welcome Marquette this Saturday at 12 p.m. MST in their second-to-last game before entering conference play. Catch all the action on ESPN+ as Utah looks to secure a momentum-building win coming off of a heartbreaking loss.
