With the exception of Homecoming, the inauguration of a new president, a concert on the Gold Coast or Commencement, the roar of 1,511 people is not commonly heard in the desolate pines of the Upper Valley. On the rain-soaked, brisk night of Sept. 11, however, 1,511 people amassed at Burnham Field to cheer on the nationally ranked Big Green men's soccer team in a double-overtime draw against the University of Connecticut.
Such a large number of fans may seem surprising considering the inclement weather, the fact that classes had yet to start and that in the team's first home game last year (which in fact was a 3-1 win over Fairleigh Dickinson University), only 412 of Big Green's own showed up in the stands.
The disparity between last year's first home game, which took place on Sept. 12, 2008, and this year's match against UConn is noticeable, but should by no means come as a shock. In the past year, Dartmouth men's soccer (4-2-1, 0-0-0 Ivy) has skyrocketed to national prominence, and deservedly so, as the team not only won a share of the 2008 Ivy League championship (tying with the University of Pennsylvania), but progressed past the first round of the NCAA Tournament to bow out in the Sweet 16 against No. 1 Wake Forest University.
The start to this year's season largely affirms Dartmouth's talent, even as the team reels from its recent 2-0 loss against Hartwick College (5-2-1, 1-0-0 ECAC). Dartmouth thrashed St. Peter's College (2-4-0, 0-0-0 MAAC) 7-0 in the team's home opener on Sept. 4, and repeated its performance to shut out Northeastern University (1-5-0, 0-0-0 CAA) 1-0. The Big Green, which ended last year's season ranked No. 16, has been ranked as high as No. 5 this season, and now sits at No. 14.
But where did this team with so much support and adoration come from? Dartmouth soccer was certainly never considered a weak program in fact, since the arrival of head coach Jeff Cook in 2001, the Big Green has been anything but weak, boasting a winning record of 71-49-26 (35-19-9 Ivy). Under Cook's charge, the Dartmouth men's soccer team has captured four Ivy League titles, three of which came in the last five seasons, and has progressed to the NCAA tournament four times in the last five years. Although reaching new heights last season, the Big Green actually produced a better record in 2007 (11-4-3 compared to last year's 11-6-2), but in that highly competitive season it was only enough to place second in the conference, behind then-No. 4 Brown University.
"I would like to say our character on and off the field, and the fact that we're an athletic team that people like to be around [is why we are getting more attention]," forward Maarten van Ess '12 said. "We tend to get support from our professors, and the heads of departments are very interested, which is great."
It wasn't entirely a smooth ride to prominence, as prior seasons brought with them some bumps and scrapes along the way to a berth in last year's NCAA tournament's round of 16. In the five years of the program before 2001, Dartmouth held a dismal 37-60-6 record. Although this record has since turned around, in 2003, the Big Green saw glimmers of disappointments past, placing last in the Ivy League with a record of 6-9-2 (1-6-0 Ivy).
Since then, the men's soccer team has largely been on the rise, sidelined only by a disappointing fourth-place league finish in 2006, when the team posted a 6-8-3 (3-3-1) Ivy record.
The changes over the past few years have not only gained fan support for the team, but have also changed the players' perceptions of the Dartmouth program.
Van Ess said that when he was recruited as a junior in high school, he knew the team had high aspirations but never imagined the extent to which they would be fulfilled.
"There has definitely been a change in the culture of the team," co-captain Craig Henderson '09 said. "We had already been a pretty successful team in terms of games, but in terms of where we play, we gained a little. We have a lot more successful possession of the ball, and just play a better brand of football."
One aspect that sets the Big Green apart from other Ivy League teams is Dartmouth's handful of international players. The team is headed by co-captains Henderson and Daniel Keat '10, who are both natives of New Zealand. Last year's Ivy Rookie of the Year Lucky Mkosana '12 hails from Bulawayo, Zimbabwe, and new additions to this year's team include Teo Larsson-Sax '13 of Kalmar, Sweden, and Stoian Nedelchev '13 of Sofia, Bulgaria.
Although not alone among American schools in recruiting international players, Dartmouth is one of the few Ivy League schools to do so given the difficulty posed by not providing scholarships, van Ess said.
Most international players will try to find a spot offered with a scholarship, therefore making it tough for Dartmouth recruiters to find talent outside the country, he said.
The international players were an integral part of the team's success last season. Mkosana, for his part, led the Ivy League last year with 24 points and 11 goals.
Henderson, who was unanimously named Ivy League Player of the Year, followed Mkosana with 16 points and six goals last year. Before Henderson's arrival at Dartmouth, he helped his team win two New Zealand National Youth League two championships, and in 2008, played with the New Zealand national team in the Olympics in Beijing, China.
"I always wanted to come over and get an education while playing, and people I knew had told me about Dartmouth," Henderson said. "I think our coach has done a really good job recruiting really good players from all around the country and from all over the world everyone fits together very well."
Nedelchev joins the team this year with plenty of European experience under his belt, having played for the Lyn Oslo Youth Club in Norway, while defender Larsson-Sax was part of the Kalmar FF Youth Soccer Foundation.
"The international players play a more technical style they grew up in a culture based around soccer, while here people grow up with a lot of other sports too," van Ess said. "But if you're a soccer player, you're a soccer player. There may be different styles to play, but we all go out and just play soccer it's what we do."
With a total of seven new freshmen on the team, the Big Green has benefitted from the added competition of getting playing time.
"The dynamic of having new players makes everything so much more competitive," van Ess said. "There is so much more depth this year than we've ever had on this team, and it is all the time making us better players."
The Big Green is headlined by a strong defense, which has only allowed six goals and 47 shots, compared to 14 goals and 89 shots by Dartmouth this year.
"Last year, the program did very well on a national scale, and we have the potential to do very well if we get back on track," Henderson said. "We have set ourselves some very high expectations and we want to not only win the Ivy League but reach the final four [in the NCAA Tournament] and be the best team in the country. It's a pretty lofty goal, but we can achieve it if we put in good performances."
