The Big Green men's soccer team tallied a big league upset on Sunday afternoon by defeating 21st-ranked Pennsylvania, 1-0, in Philadelphia. The win, which improved the team's record to 2-1, gave Dartmouth a 1-0 record in Ivy League play and their second straight victory after dropping their season-opener against Maine.
Bobby Meyer's '99 goal in the 56th minute of the game was the difference for the Big Green. Meyer was set up by Zach Samol, who got the assist on the play.
Meyer's goal would be all the offense Dartmouth would need as Big Green goalkeeper Matt Nyman '99 held the Quakers at bay, making five saves in net.
"I think our team defense contributed most to the shutout," Nyman said. "We were able to step up and win the ball in the midfield and eliminate any chances before they got started."
Nyman was happy to record his first shutout of the season.
"I'm always happy to get a shutout no matter who it's against, whether its an Ivy League opponent or another team," Nyman said. "If the other team doesn't score then we can't lose."
The Big Green has started a trend of winning Ivy League openers as they have captured the first league game each of the past three years. However, the team has typically faded after that, not realizing its full potential. The team hopes this year will be different as they prepare to head to Palo Alto next week to play in the Stanford Invitational.
"This victory shows us that we can compete against some of the top teams and come out on top," Nyman said. "It gives us that added confidence we need going into the bulk of our schedule."
Dartmouth picked up their first win of the season last week when they shutout Siena 5-0. The victory over Siena saw four players score goals in one of the Big Green's most lopsided wins in the past decade.
