In its history, Dartmouth men's soccer had never before played Hofstra. After Wednesday's result, Hofstra will probably never want to play the Big Green again.
An offensive outburst that saw two goals scored in the first 27 minutes was all Dartmouth needed to defeat the Flying Ducthmen 2-0 on Chase Field. The Big Green (9-1-1) used their heads, with shots from that body part of Chris Pedrick '99 and Brendan Reidy '99 accounting for Dartmouth's scoring. Senior Matt Nyman's 16th career shutout sets a new school record.
Dartmouth outplayed Hofstra (7-6-2) in every manner possible. Offensively, the Green ran a smooth system with copious and accurate passing. Hofstra blundered on several short passes and generally had great difficulty in moving the ball.
Dartmouth's defense also deserves some of the credit for the Dutchmen's failures on offense, stopping ball penetration before Hofstra could even take a shot on Nyman. Hofstra's defense collapsed on several occasions, particularly in the opening period, leaving goalie Russel McCormack helpless.
Nyman was happy to have a place in Big Green history, but was quick to share the accolade with his teammates.
"Getting the shutout record today meant a lot to me and it is just another positive note in our so far, great season," he said. "A lot of credit should go out to Coach Jamie Smith and the boys in front of me on breaking the record."
Andrew Brooke replaced McCormack at the beginning of the second half, and managed to prevent further damage. Dartmouth's All-America defense enjoyed another lazy afternoon in the sun, easily shutting down Hofstra's anemic offense.
The first Dartmouth goal came only 18:41 into the game. Nick Magnuson '01 sent a corner kick into a melee in front of the net. Pedrick rose above the crowd, nailing the ball in to the back of the net.
The Big Green didn't rest on its laurels, however, adding to its lead just eight minutes later. Ben Kennedy lined up a free kick from near the corner of the field and launched the ball towards the net. Reidy, one of Dartmouth's three All-American backfielders, scored his fourth goal of the season, all four of them on headers. He had not scored a goal in three previous seasons.
"Having guys like Reidy and Pedrick step it up this season has been tremendous," Nyman said.
The Green continued to play solidly, just missing on chances in the 69th and 90th minutes. The Flying Dutchmen never mounted a serious threat, so the Green's slower play in the second half did not hurt the outcome. The damage had been done.
With the victory 14th-ranked Dartmouth extended its undefeated streak to six games as well as continuing its unbeaten string at home to eight this season. Awaiting the Green will be the Big Red of Cornell next Saturday in Ithaca, N.Y.