The men's soccer team returned early Monday morning from the Lanzera/Holiday Inn Classic tournament in Charlottesville, VA after being shut out by two nationally-ranked teams over the weekend.
The Big Green have managed only three goals in their last five games after exploding for 13 in their first three games.
"We had a spell at the beginning of the season where we scored a few goals," Coach Fran O'Leary said. "The goals have dried up a bit since then."
On Sunday, Dartmouth outplayed the 14th-ranked University of Maryland for 90 scoreless minutes, only to fall 2-0 in overtime. The Big Green outshot the Terrapins 11-5 in regulation and 14-8 overall.
The team's best chance came midway through the second half when a Chris Mitchell '95 header hit the crossbar.
"We were hungry and aggressive," O'Leary said. "We're happy with the performance, but unhappy with the result."
On Friday, Dartmouth suffered a 2-0 loss to the host team, the University of Virginia. The Big Green-Cavaliers game was a rematch of a 1992 NCAA quarterfinal match in which UVA won 3-0.
Two years ago, the Cavaliers were led by sophomore midfielder Claudio Reyna, who currently plays professionally in Europe and starts for the US National Team. UVA won three consecutive national championships in Reyna's three college years.
Friday, it was another midfielder, Mike Fisher, who put the eighth-ranked Cavaliers up 1-0 in the 10th minute. Fisher, who was named MVP of the tournament, hit a right-footed free-kick that went through the Dartmouth five-man defensive wall and into the lower-left corner of the net.
According to O'Leary, UVA threatened to make quick work of the Big Green after Fisher's goal. But Dartmouth responded to the pressure and even managed to shift the momentum in their favor in the second half.
"After the goal, we regained composure," O'Leary said. "We dominated stretches of the second half."
However, in the 76th minute, UVA senior forward A.J. Wood gave the Cavaliers an insurance goal. Wood, who had two goals against Dartmouth in the '92 quarterfinal, found the back of the net with a left-footed volley off a cross from Billy Walsh.
The Big Green, who have been somewhat snake-bit with injuries this season, lost forward David Moran '96 in the first-half against Virginia when he twisted a previously-injured knee. Moran did not play the remainder of the UVA game and sat out for the match against Maryland.
"With a little bit of luck, we probably could have come away with a win and a tie." O'Leary said in summing up the weekend.
Two Dartmouth players who stood out were defender Asa Marokus '95 and midfielder Hunter Paschall '96, who were both named to the all-tournament team.
The Big Green are now ranked fifth in New England with an overall record of 4-3-1. Their next opponent is the University of Massachusetts, who, at 8-4-2, is currently sixth in the region.
"[UMass] is having a good year," O'Leary said. "The game is an opportunity for us to regroup."
The UMass game is the first of a three-game homestand for Dartmouth. Kickoff is Wednesday on Chase Field at 3:30pm.
