Box Score

HANOVER, N.H. — Northeastern used yet another quick start to its advantage on the pitch, this time scoring just three minutes into the game against Dartmouth enroute to a 4-1 win over the Big Green. Senior Crystal Poland tallied her fifth career hat trick, sophomore Caroline Judge registered the first goal of her career and despite giving up a goal, senior Lizzie Priest finished the afternoon with six crucial saves for NU (3-0, 0-0 CAA).

After a quick shot on goal by freshman Deirdre Duke to start off the period, Poland once again found herself on the delivering end of an early goal, putting the Huskies out in front 1-0 at 2:55. Not even two minutes later, Judge got into the scoring mix with a beautiful shot off a loose ball in the circle giving the Huskies a little more cushion in the early going.

It was Poland who struck again at 9:13 after Northeastern earned a penalty corner. Following the insertion, the Huskies passed the ball back-and-forth in the circle before Poland capitalized on a Nicky Graham feed to leave NU in a comfortable 3-0 advantage over the hosts.

Choosing not to ease up on the gas pedal after halftime, the Huskies struck again when Poland registered her third goal of the day just two minutes into the second stanza. Once more, Graham was in on the assist, her second of the day, as was Lindsay Bennett. The hat trick was the senior's first of 2012 and fifth of her career.

The Big Green finally tacked one on the board when Liz Blanken eked the ball past Priest after a penalty corner at 51:32, moving the score to 4-1 in favor of the Red and Black. But Blanken's goal came too little too late for Dartmouth as the Huskies were able to run down the rest of the clock, finishing off the home team by that same score.

Head coach Cheryl Murtagh and the Huskies return to the pitch next weekend when they head to East Lansing, Mich., for showdowns with Virginia (2 p.m. Saturday) and Michigan State (2 p.m. Sunday).