The No. 14 Dartmouth men's soccer team lost to Hartwick College on Saturday in a 2-0 upset in Oneonta, N.Y.
While Dartmouth (4-2-1, 0-0-0 Ivy) took 11 shots compared to Hartwick's six, Hartwick (5-2-1, 1-0-0 MAC) managed to score on a rebound off of a corner kick just before halftime and again off of a header in the second half.
Head coach Jeff Cook said the team will look to regain its defensive composure before Dartmouth's next game against the University of Vermont.
"We'd like to maintain our defensive strengths," he said. "We've traditionally had a team that doesn't concede many goals."
Midfielder Brad Jacobson '13 attributed the loss partly to the team's growing attention on the national level.
"We are in a very different position this year in the sense that we are now a ranked team," Jacobson said. "Teams have us marked down on their schedule. We have to match their intensity every game. These past few games we have had slow starts and given up the first goal."
Cook added that the team needs to more effectively capitalize on scoring opportunities.
"Sometimes we tend to be a team that allows other teams to stay close even if we're dominating play, and that's an area that comes back to haunt you in soccer," he said. "[In last night's game], we had the first three or four good chances to score, but they got a goal before halftime."
Despite these losses, co-captain Craig Henderson '09 said the team has the intensity necessary to defend its Ivy League title.
"We need to win every game, whether it's a top team or a local team," he said. "It's a matter of us getting mentally prepared and putting on a good performance every game."
Cook said he is optimistic about the team's ability to bounce back from Saturday's loss.
"I think we've got some really committed student-athletes who work hard ... Every game, the level of competition is so high we have to be at our very best no matter whether we are Ivy League champions or not," he said. "It's a difficult challenge, but it's also reassuring that we know that if we play up to our standards, we have a good chance of being successful."
Still, the team is keeping its eye on the prize as it heads toward two important matches against Vermont and longtime rival Princeton.
Walker Linares '11 said the team will look to maintain its focus during conference games.
"Our main goal is to win the Ivy League and national championship," he said. "These are high ambitions, but we know we can do it because we believe in ourselves as a team, and because we know we have experience and depth. We have a long season ahead but we know we can make it."
Dartmouth will face off against the University of Vermont at 6 p.m. on Wednesday at Burnham Field in Hanover.
