Three stellar matches occurred in the Ivy League this weekend, as the victors won by a combined 21 points.

Defense was the star of the Dartmouth (2-0) and Brown (2-1) match, which occurred at Brophy Field in Hanover, N.H. The only first-half score was a Big Green penalty in the 27^th minute. That scoreline held for another 40 minutes, until senior captain and flyhalf Tatiana Toeldte scored for the game-winning advantage. Brown kept it interesting when Uzo Okoro scored in the 71^st minute, but the hosts held on for the 8-5 victory.

“We beat Brown my sophomore year in league play 10-5,” Dartmouth senior Yejadai Dunn lent some perspective. “It was very similar to this match: hard fought on both sides and extremely memorable.”

Dartmouth lost to Brown in last year’s Ivy Championship, so “we had something worth fighting for,” Dunn added. “It was definitely a defensive game on both sides, hence the low score, but we did spend a large amount of time on offensive in our green zone. We just need to capitalize on those opportunities when they come, which I think will be a big focus for us this coming week of training.”

Dartmouth extends its home stand this weekend, when it hosts Princeton. The Tigers contested its first league match against Harvard and were denied a victory in a 17-10 contest.

The Crimson took an early lead when All American Caitlin Weigel scored three minutes into the match (5-0). Princeton’s most dangerous scoring threat – Jessica Lu, who spent her summer at American Rugby Pro Training Center – evened it up with a try in the 27^th minute, 5-5 into the break.

Eager for the league-opening victory, Princeton took its first lead of the game six minutes after the half, putting Andrea Malleo into the try zone, 10-5.

There the game stood until the final four minutes of play. Harvard’s Susie Clements tied it up with a try, and then Claire Collins dotted down two minutes later. Clements added the conversion for the gripping 17-10 victory.

"I think it was a significant improvement in our composure and out trust in one another to come from behind in the second half, come down deep in our attacking territory, execute the game plan and pull the victory really out of the jaws of defeat in the last minutes of the game," Harvard head coach Sue Parker told Harvard Athletics.

It was a redemptive win for the Crimson, which dropped a 44-17 game to Brown the weekend prior.

Cornell also improved to 2-1, building off its 27-21 win over Yale to defeat Columbia 12-0.