After their goals late in the second half put Dartmouth ahead of Harvard University in the Homecoming soccer game Saturday night, I sat down with Nick Pappas '12 and Lucky Mkosana '12 to talk about the thrill of late-game heroics in front of a home crowd.
Do you guys consider Harvard a bigger rival than any other Ivy opponent? Do you feel like there's any more intensity involved when you match up against them?
LM: They are our biggest rivals no doubt about that. It's impossible not to have higher intensity when we play them. The key for me is frustrating their defenders to get them out of the game by elbowing them once in a while.
NP: I'd say because of Homecoming and how our season has gone, it was an important game for us.
How does Homecoming add to the atmosphere of a home game?
LM: Nothing is better than playing Harvard on Homecoming because most alumni are back and the fans are just going crazy at the Harvard players, and that's a huge advantage for us.
NP: Its great to see the '09's from the team back and all the alums make the crowd even rowdier, which is great.
Are you guys subject to any heckling when you have road games?
LM: Yeah sometimes, but they suck at it. Sometimes I'm like, "Wow that's terrible, just don't say a word." Our fans are pretty good at it.
NP: Agreed. It's usually not as creative as the heckling we hear at home, though.
How do other Ivy League crowds compare to the Burnham Field fans?
NP: Our home atmospheres are better than others, Harvard's is probably the worst. We had more people at their game last year than they had home fans. Brown usually does decent though.
After going down a goal in a game, what is the mindset that you guys have? How do you avoid feeling the pressure and try to get back in the game?
NP: It's annoying because when you know you're better than a team, the last thing you want to happen is to go down a goal, but it's also that same belief that helps you get back in the game. The whole time I know we can score on any team so it's just being patient and waiting for that to happen.
LM: We just kept focusing and attacking them. We knew our chances were going to come. I kept rattling this defender, number two, who man-marked me all the time. [Laughs] Before I scored the winner, I was like, "You can't stop me son!" to his face and kept pushing him around. That kind of stuff gives me confidence and frustrates the opponents.
I think this is what everyone wants to know: describe the feeling of scoring a big goal in a game like the one on Saturday night.
LM: Oh man! It was the most exhilarating moment, a game-winner too. It doesn't get better than that.
NP: It's unreal; one of the biggest rushes you can feel. The guys on your team are going crazy, the crowd is going crazy.
What's the first thing that comes to your mind after scoring?
LM: Running to the fans because I always owe it to them. Standing in the cold supporting us for two hours is just incredible.
NP: I'm just thinking about what kind of celebration I can do.
You guys both had pretty solid celebrations. Are those pre-planned?
LM: I normally plan, but yesterday's wasn't planned at all.
NP: The last time I scored, it was the 7th goal of a 7-0 game. I celebrated like that but the field was dry so the slide wasn't too effective. Last night, I had to redeem myself and with the wet grass I thought it was the perfect opportunity to do that.
Who has the best goal celebration on the team? What does he do?
LM: [Laughs] I will let Pappy answer that one.
NP: Mafana [Lucky]. He knows all these dances that everyone on our team tries to emulate, notably Austin Bowers '11, but we just end up looking silly.
Who has the worst? Why?
NP: Maarten [van Ess '12]'s are probably the worst. He usually does some sort of uncoordinated, mis-timed fist-pump, which just ends up looking awkward.
What is your standing in the Ivies after Saturday night's win?
LM: We're fourth in the Ivies now and unfortunately we don't have a shot to win it this year. Princeton and Penn are undefeated with five wins each.
How does it affect your expectations for the rest of the season?
LM: We have three games left and we need to win them all to get a bid in the NCAA tournament.
