Dartmouth men's soccer posted its third consecutive Ivy League win with a 1-0 victory over Columbia (6-6-2, 0-3-2 Ivy) at Baker Field in New York on Saturday. Daniel Keat '10 scored his sixth goal of the season, keeping the Big Green (5-6-3, 3-1-1 Ivy) in contention for the Ivy League title.
After a disappointing start of the season, the Big Green players knew that they needed to adopt an "all-or-nothing" attitude if they wanted to defend their Ivy League title from last year and qualify for the NCAA tournament.
Head coach Jeff Cook had everyone, with the exception of permanently injured captain Lucas Richardson '07, centre-back Ale Frischeisen '08 and striker Craig Henderson '09, on his roster available for the Columbia game, having rested the majority of his starting players during the team's last match against Boston College.
Peter Savidis '06 and Pumi Maqubela '10 both recovered from their injuries and are back in top playing form. They formed the core of the Big Green defense against the Lions.
Dartmouth charged from the beginning of the game and tested Columbia's goalkeeper Michael Testa with a few early shots. The Lions were able to fight back and establish significant presence in the Big Green's half for a few minutes. However, the Big Green defense was as solid as always and successfully dealt with three consecutive Columbia corner kicks.
Dartmouth dealt a fatal blow to the Columbia defense in the 26th minute. Midfielder Mike Ordonez '08 found Keat in a corner kick and the New Zealander chipped the ball over the Lions' goalkeeper, just under the crossbar.
The game-winning goal is freshman sensation Keat's sixth goal of the season. He has scored four of Dartmouth's five Ivy League goals, including all three game-winners and a game-tying bicycle kick goal against Brown. He currently leads the team in both goals (six) and points (13), followed by Ordonez with two goals and seven points.
Following the goal, Dartmouth kept the pressure on the Lions, outshooting them 7-3 in the first half. However, Testa made three saves to deny the Big Green forwards, while Big Green goalkeeper Rowan Anders '07 wasn't seriously tested before the break.
After the break, Anders and the Big Green defense remained solid in spite of a more aggressive Columbia offense, preserving the 1-0 lead. In the 75th minute, a Dartmouth defender was able to clear the ball from the penalty box after a shot by Scott Waddell. Only three minutes later, Anders demonstrated his ability and denied Ryan Scully's effort for an equalizer.
The Big Green is currently one of four teams to remain in contention for the Ivy League title after the win over Columbia.
Harvard and the University of Pennsylvania currently top the league with 12 points, while last year's co-champions Brown and Dartmouth share the third spot with 10.
Dartmouth currently boasts the best defense in the League, conceding only three goals in Ivy play and 10 overall. However, the Big Green's offense has scored only five goals in league play, only Cornell and Columbia scored few goals in league play.
The Big Green will be back in action on Wednesday when it heads to Vermont for a 2 p.m. kick-off in its final non-conference contest of the season.
Keat, who picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Columbia, will miss the Wednesday encounter due to a one-game suspension but will be back for the team's two final Ivy League games against Harvard and Cornell.
