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The Dartmouth
March 28, 2024 | Latest Issue
The Dartmouth

Controversial goal the difference in soccer loss to Eagles

Boston College edged Derek Stenquist '10 and the Big Green 1-0.
Boston College edged Derek Stenquist '10 and the Big Green 1-0.

Keeping his word after the 2-1 win against the University of Pennsylvania on Sunday, Big Green head coach Jeff Cook fielded the best players he had available, without giving his starters a break before the "game of the season" against Columbia on Saturday. However, this task required a lot of creativity, as the Big Green was missing five first-team players due to injuries, including a full defensive line-up.

As a result, Dartmouth fielded an unusual back four of midfielder Derek Stenquist '10, Donnie Surdoval '10, Tom Lobben '08 and Jacob Aguiar '07.

However, in spite of the bizarre lineup, it was Dartmouth that had the first chance of the game only four minutes into the contest. Industrious midfielder Michael Ordonez '08 was given a chance to shoot at an open goal, but his effort was blocked by Boston College defender Paul Gerstenberger.

The game turned into a pretty evenly matched contest between two physical opponents, who were struggling to dominate the midfield. However, it was a dubious decision by the referee that tilted the scales Boston's way and gave the Eagles the all-important first goal.

BC striker Charlie Davies used a moment of miscommunication to break through the center of Dartmouth's defense and advance into the Big Green's penalty area.

As keeper Rowan Anders '07 rushed out to meet him and get a hand on the ball, Davies theatrically dived into the penalty area, causing the referee to point at the spot and give him a penalty kick.

Davies stepped up himself and scored his 15th goal of the season with a precise shot into the bottom left corner of Anders' goal, as the Dartmouth keeper managed to graze the ball.

After the goal, Big Green coach Jeff Cook decided to give most of his players a rest before Saturday's all-important Ivy League matchup against Columbia.

Paul DuPuy '07, Taylor Alan-Lee '08 and Sean Milich '09 all recorded their first minutes of collegiate play, while Sean Milligan '09 replaced Anders in goal for the second half.

In the second half, Boston College had the more dangerous chances, but Davies was unable to capitalize on the insecurity of the Big Green defense. At the other end of the field, Dani Rothenberg '09 and Matt Miller '09 were very active, but unable to seriously threaten BC keeper Chris Brown.

"We certainly knew that we had many injured guys and couldn't risk giving everyone a full 90 minutes in front of the important game against Columbia this weekend," Cook said after the game, "but I thought that the guys who replaced them were outstanding.

"We were close to getting an equalizer in the second half, against an ACC team that has just beaten the No. 2 team in the country 3-1. At times, I thought we made them look pretty average," he added.

The Big Green will be back in action this Saturday, as it travels to New York City for an all-or-nothing game against Ivy rival Columbia. With a poor regional record, the Ivy title remains the team's only chance for an NCAA berth. However, Dartmouth will most probably need to win all three remaining Ivy League games in order to claim at least a share of the trophy.

The team, which has seven points on the season, currently shares the third spot in the league with Brown. Harvard and Penn split the top spot with nine points each, while Columbia sits at the bottom with only two points from four games.

On Saturday, the team will be missing its first-choice center-back duo. Captain Lucas Richardson '07, who tore his ACL in a game earlier this season, as well as Ale Frischeisen '08, together with striker Craig Henderson '09 will only be able to help their teammates from the sideline.

Meanwhile, Cook expects to see the return of fifth-year senior Peter Savidis '06 and impressive rookie Pumi Maqubela '10, who missed the Wednesday clash against Boston College.

The Big Green hopes to repeat the performance from last year's game against the Lions, when it won 1-0 due to a sole goal by Mike Ordonez.

Columbia (6-5-2, 0-2-2) is coming off a 2-1 Wednesday victory over Quinnipiac. In their last Ivy outing, the Lions played Princeton to a 2-2 tie.

Saturday's game is set for 4 p.m. at Columbia Soccer Stadium.