With eight seconds remaining on the clock in the second overtime, the Big Green men's soccer team lost a spot in the Elite Eight of the Division I NCAA tournament with a goal from No. 8 seed University of California, Los Angeles. The teams battled for two 45-minute halves and nearly two 10-minute overtime periods, but UCLA junior midfielder Eder Arreola ended the Big Green's post-season, 2-1.
Arreola scored both goals for the Bruins, with his game-winning shot off a throw-in by UCLA freshman defender Joe Sofia. Had the second overtime concluded, the game would have then gone into penalty kicks. UCLA has not had a shootout in 20 years.
Dartmouth (12-7-1, 4-3 Ivy), referred to by the game's announcer as the "unseeded upset machine," was among only three unseeded teams to advance to the Sweet Sixteen. The two others, Michigan State and Brown University, fell to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and University of California, Berkeley, respectively, in the third round.
The Bruins were the first to score when Arreola put one in the back of the net in the 25th minute, and UCLA carried the 1-0 advantage into the second half.
Defender Bryan Giudicelli '11 leveled the score at the 59th minute off an assist from co-captain Daniel Keat '10 in front of the box.
A strong Big Green defensive line was able to fend off scoring aggression from the Bruins throughout the second half during what the announcer called an "epic match between UCLA and Dartmouth." UCLA outshot Dartmouth, 20-18, in the game.
"This was a terrific soccer game, and all the players left everything on the field," head coach Jeff Cook said in a Dartmouth press release. "I take great pride in how well our team represented the College."
All of Big Green's seniors were on the field for their final game, with keeper Lyman Missimer '11, co-captain Andrew Olsen '11, Keat and Giudicelli playing the entire 110 minutes of the game. Midfielder Austin Bowers '11 sustained an injury in the first half of the game and did not return to play.
Going into the third round, Olsen was the top-ranked player in the tournament for game-winning goals and points, while Keat recorded the most assists. Forward Lucky Mkosana '12 led the conference in shots with 15 and averaged 7.5 per game, according to the NCAA tournament's website.
Missimer, who had four saves to the Bruins goalie Brian Rowe's six, also received national attention over the weekend from ESPN.com's Mechelle Voepel when she featured him in an article following Dartmouth's advance to the third round. Voepel commented on the keeper's persistence throughout his career, despite injuries and other obstacles that have kept him from starting in goal until his senior season. In pre-season, Missimer tore a muscle in his right quad and was not able to play until the ninth game of the season during which he sustained a concussion midway through the game.
Missimer's father, Lyman Missimer III '79, left big shoes to fill as Dartmouth's three-time All-Ivy keeper from 1975-1979.
The Division I NCAA quarterfinals will take place Dec. 3-5. UCLA will play top-seeded and undefeated University of Louisville; University of Akron will play University of California Berkeley; University of Michigan faces University of Maryland; and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill takes on Southern Methodist University.
Players and Cook could not be reached for comment by press time.
