Prior to Tuesday’s game at Hobart, Dartmouth head coach Brendan Callahan told his team a story.
A story from 2015, his first season leading the program.
Following a 20-5 loss at No. 2 Notre Dame eight years ago, midfielder Jack Connolly asked Callahan what the team needed to do to compete with a team like the Fighting Irish.
Callahan responded honestly, saying that Notre Dame has been doing things the right way for a long time. It may take 10 years of doing things a certain way to build the foundation for success.
Has that time come for the Big Green? It sure looks like Dartmouth is beginning to reap the rewards of not only their own hard work, but also the hard work of years of student-athletes who have come through the program. Callahan wanted to make sure the current student-athletes didn’t lose sight of that — and make sure they knew they were ready for the next step.
What would ensue over the next few hours was proof. Dartmouth went down 7-1 in the first half but stormed back to pull even by halftime on the way to a wild 20-16 win inside the Thomas B. Poole ’61 and Family Sports Dome.
The win improved Dartmouth’s record to 4-0, good for its best start since 2003, the same year Dartmouth last won the Ivy League championship. Dartmouth also handed the Statesmen their first-ever loss inside the Poole Family Dome.
“Those guys started building the groundwork eight or nine years ago,” Callahan said. “This year, the guys have been carrying it through with the work they’ve done in the offseason, and we’re starting to elevate the program to a new level. What we were able to do at Hobart, and so far this season, is a sign of that.
“But we’ve got a long way to go and a lot of work still to do.”
The Big Green are one of four undefeated teams remaining in Division I men’s lacrosse, along with Virginia, Notre Dame and Cornell. They’re now eyeing their first Ivy League victory since 2015. The results are beginning to come, and they know they’re going about the process the right way.
“We’re four games into a 12-game season, and it’s the deepest and one of the most athletic rosters we’ve had in my time here,” Callahan said. “From an experience standpoint, we’re learning what it takes after we were close a year ago.”
Callahan is referring to close Ivy League contests. The Big Green lost by a combined four goals against two Final Four teams in Cornell (8-7) and Princeton (12-10), among several other competitive conference games.
Dartmouth entered this season hungry, and that hunger has been on display. The Big Green have already done things they haven’t done in a long time. Dartmouth opened by topping Merrimack, then beat Holy Cross 17-6 for its largest margin of victory since 2004. A home win over Siena followed, setting up Tuesday’s showdown at Hobart.
Dartmouth entered Tuesday third nationally in scoring defense (allowing just eight goals per game). The Big Green scored 20 goals for the first time since 2008, with 19 coming over the game’s final three quarters. Reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Week Emmett Paradine led with 10 points via seven goals and three assists, becoming the first Division I men’s lacrosse freshman to reach double figures in a game this spring.
“I had a shortie on me and was doing what I was coached to do, dodge the low wings and try to get to my shots,” Paradine said. “Guys were moving off-ball and finding themselves. I was trying to feed them, play with my head up, and if they didn’t slide, I was going to the goal.”