With the Ivy league title at stake Saturday afternoon, the No. 22 Harvard women's soccer team (10-4-1, 5-1 Ivy) faced off against No. 7 Dartmouth (14-1-1, 6-0 Ivy) at Ohiri Field. DARTMOUTH  2 HARVARD  1

In an intense battle that would give the victors the league championship and a berth in the year's NCAA Tournament, the Crimson dropped a heartbreaking 2-1 loss to the Big Green.

Winners of the last three Ivy league titles, Harvard entered Saturday's crucial match-up looking to give the senior four titles in four years.

Dartmouth, however, riding a superb season and an unbeaten streak in the Ivies, had other ideas as it jumped out to 1-0 lead 1:20 into the game.

Freshman Jamie Lang took a pass from junior Jessica Post and cannoned a shot from 25 yards out into the upper left corner of the goal just over the outstretched hands of Harvard goalie junior Anne Browning.

The goal was Lang's fifth of the year and it put the Crimson in an early hole that would prove too difficult to dig out of.

Dominating early and controlling the ball for most of the first half, Dartmouth struck again in the 14th minute when sophomore Jennifer Murray won a battle for the ball and then fed post who finished nicely from 20 yards out.

The surprisingly pro-Dartmouth crowd went into a frenzy as things began to look bleak for the Crimson.

Feeling a sense of urgency and in danger of letting the game slip away, Harvard picked up the pace thereafter as the game turned into a back-and-forth battle befitting of the stakes and the quality of the two teams playing.

Behind a strong push, Harvard pressured the Dartmouth defense by working the ball up the sidelines and forcing a corner kick in the 32nd minute.

Off the kick, the ball drifted out to sophomore fullback Lauren Corkery in front of the box.

Corkery crossed it to senior co-captain EmilyStauffer who gathered the pass and fired a shotthat was blocked by Dartmouth's Ivy League-leadinggoalie Kristen Luckenbill.

Harvard then caught a break that would grantthe Crimson new hope as the rebound bounced out tojunior forward Beth Zotter it into the goal to cutthe Dartmouth lead to a manageable 2-1 deficit.

"I was actually really fortunate; it justbounced out to me, and I volleyed it in," Zottersaid.

Sensing a comeback the Crimson increased thepressure as junior back Gina Foster began takingcontrol of the action in the midfield.

Feeding the ball upfield, she was the catalystfor several more pushes toward the Dartmouth goal.