In its first Ivy League match of the season, the Big Green men's soccer team drew a 1-1 overtime tie against Princeton in the Tigers' stadium debut in Princeton, N.J.
The tie moved the Big Green to 5-2-1 (0-0-1 Ivy), while the Tigers are now 2-6-1 (0-0-1 Ivy).
"I think Princeton will be happier with the outcome than we will," head coach Jeff Cook said. "You're left with a bit of frustration after playing so hard and carrying significant stretches of play, only to come out with a tie."
The two teams played an intense and balanced match for 110 minutes. Dartmouth came out hot right from the gate, with three shots in the first 20 minutes, including two shots on goal. Princeton goalkeeper Joe Thomas kept his team in the game, however, finishing the day with seven saves.
Dartmouth finally got on the board when senior co-captain Craig Henderson '09 scored his third goal of the season in the 22nd minute. Henderson connected on a header off a cross by Aaron Gaide '11. The Princeton defense failed to mark Henderson, making it easy to take advantage of the feed from Gaide.
The play between the two teams remained balanced through the rest of the half, until Princeton caught a break only seconds before halftime on a handball called just outside the box. The Tigers' Josh Walburn evened the score on a low shot from 20-yards out that found its way past Dartmouth goalkeeper Sean Milligan '09 with 45 seconds remaining in the half.
A ceremony occurred between halves to acknowledge the opening of Princeton's new field.
The Big Green came out firing on all cylinders to open the second half.
"We came out in the second half and pretty much dominated the game, right through both overtimes," co-captain Milligan said.
Dartmouth saw numerous opportunities in the second half, but did not manage to regain the lead. The Big Green had five corner kicks in a four-minute window starting in the 57th minute, but the Tigers cleared it out every time to preserve the tie. Dartmouth missed another chance with a free kick from 30-yards out in the 65th minute, missing just wide of the goal.
"We created our fair share of chances, even hit the post on a couple occasions," Henderson said. "We just didn't finish."
The two 10-minute overtimes saw much of the same dominance from the Big Green, as Dartmouth fired three shots in each period while preventing the Tigers from making any attempts. The Big Green outshot the Tigers 14-8 overall.
Along with Milligan, five field players went for the full 110 minutes including Henderson, Andrew Olsen '11 and backs Pumi Maqubela '10, Bryan Giudicelli '11 and Donnie Surdoval '10.
"We just have to stay faithful to the things that brought us success this season," Cook said. "We just need to turn those opportunities into goals. If we can do that in future games, we'll take home our fair share."
While the players admitted that they need to find some consistency on the road, the Big Green refused to use that as any excuse.
"It's obviously harder to get results away from home, but that's just something we need to work on," Henderson said.
The Big Green should find motivation in revenge against its next opponent, as they play at Vermont on Wednesday at 3:30 p.m.
Dartmouth's 2007 season ended dramatically on penalty kicks against Vermont after a 1-1 tie in the first round of the NCAA tournament.
"Vermont is a big regional rivalry for us, so I think we need to be ready for the intensity of that game," Cook said. "We've been trying to get better with possession of the ball, and that's something we've actually improved on every game. If we can continue to do that, we'll have a good chance on Wednesday."
