The Interstate-89 showdown is never anything like the beautiful stretch of highway that separates Dartmouth College and the University of Vermont. The game is tough, hard-nosed soccer that leaves people walking away shaking their heads as though they've been to a bare-knuckle boxing match.
Yesterday's game was no different, as the Catamounts played the streaking Big Green to a 1-1 tie in a light snow at Chase Field.
Dartmouth's goal came in the 22nd minute when freshman Pat White crossed a ball that, after a deflection off the UVM keeper, found senior co-captain Danny Markman's foot 15 yards away from the goal. That foot slid a volley past the defensive shield into the net.
"It was a pretty ugly game," co-captain Matt Miller '03 said. "For some reason we relaxed after scoring the first goal, and never got back our intensity until overtime."
The reason overtime was needed was that none of the other 18 shots Dartmouth took found the back of the net, but the Catamounts would capitalize on the Big Green's lackadaisical defending in the second half.
Vermont's Adam Wallace found space on the wing and laid a perfect cross to the far side where White was stranded alone with three Catamounts around him. White covered the first man, but the second was Brad Rawson, in a green jersey, who headed home the tying goal.
"It took me a good crack in the skull before I even got myself going," added Miller. "We controlled overtime, had a number of great opportunities, just failed to put the game away."
Those opportunities included a blast off of Miller's own foot, and two shots by Matt LaBarre '04 that sailed wide.
"We were all over them in overtime and created what were definitely our best chances of the game " probably three or four really good scoring opportunities. We just couldn't pull it out today," defender Zach Schwartz '02 said.
What also hurts the Big Green is the fact that defender/midfielder Dave Trouille '02 and midfielder Damien Quinn '04 both received their fifth yellow cards of the season, forcing them to sit out the next game, a crucial Ivy League match against Cornell.
"Credit them for playing with heart and coming back, but we come away disappointed because we let an opportunity to get closer to the postseason slip away today," Miller said.
Schwartz added: "While it is nice to keep the unbeaten streak alive, I think everyone is a little disappointed. We go out there to win, and we let one get away this time.
"All we can do is prepare for Cornell and continue to win some games."
Just as the men said, the road doesn't get any easier, as the Big Green next plays host to the Big Red Saturday at 1:30 at Chase Field as part of a doubleheader with the women's team.
