Head coach Jeff Cook said he felt confident in the team's ability to win throughout the match, even despite tough play from the Catamounts.
"It's a really hard game when we play them, and last year we had to come back from behind in Vermont," he said. "They are an outstanding team and are having a very good season right now, so we knew that we would have to play our best."
The Big Green (4-3-2, 1-0-0 Ivy) got its first break in the 60th minute, when Mkosana's header scored. The goal was assisted by Kevin Dzierzawski '13, who dribbled the ball down the right side of the field and found Mkosana in the center of the Catamounts' box.
Mkosana has now scored in each of the past four games. He surpassed Egil Stigum '56 for second on Dartmouth's highest all-time scorer list with his goal on Tuesday.
"To me, what's most important is mentally focusing throughout the game," he said. "I just play how I would every time and keep working hard every game."
Mkosana said the team has played at a particularly high level during its recent winning streak.
"I think we've really stepped it up and grown over these last three games," he said. "And I feel like if we play like we keep playing, we will do well in the games to come."
The Big Green increased its advantage to two goals with 15 minutes left in the game, when Pappas scored on a header off a corner kick by Dzierzawski. The goal was Pappas' first of the season.
"It was awesome, some of the guys celebrated with me after," Pappas said. "It's always fun to score, and being a defender it doesn't happen that often, so anytime you get a goal it's really exciting."
Pappas said the goal provided momentum for the team in the last minutes of the game.
"I think with the score being 1-0, all it took was a little counter attack and we had a nice cushion with 15 minutes left," he said. "It really took [UVM] out of the game."
Dzierzawski provided an offensive spark, and after his two assists on Tuesday, now totals four this season. Dzierzawski said his recent success is a result of the overall team's performance.
"I don't think it's me individually it's definitely something we're working on as a team every day in practice," Dzierzawski said. "The more games we play, the more comfortable we get with our positioning, and our chemistry just gets better and better every game, so I think it's a team effort. It doesn't exactly just come down to me being in the right spots."
Dartmouth goalie Noah Cohen '14 also played well, completing his third shutout of the season. The Big Green held off several chances by UVM, including two good scoring opportunities by senior Yannick Lewis.
After the game, Cook called Mkosana "a special player" and "a great person."
"Although he's been outstanding his whole career, this year he has stepped his game up to a new level," Cook said. "I'm just delighted that he has had this success and I hope it continues for a long time to come."
Dzierzawski said he is confident that Dartmouth's strong play will continue.
"I think we just need to keep doing the things we've been doing right," he said. "Defensively, today was a great shutout, and I think we need to have that mentality going into Saturday's game and believe in ourselves just like we did tonight."
Cook added that Dartmouth must improve in certain areas in order to continue its winning record.
"It's really taking care of details," he said. "I feel like if we can handle ourselves off the field, it's easier to be successful on the field. We just want to concentrate on improving and getting better each week that's the most important thing."
Dartmouth plays Yale University on Saturday at 3 p.m. in New Haven, Conn.
