Four first-half goals led the Dartmouth men's soccer team to a big win over defending Ivy League champions Princeton University on Saturday night at Burnham Field in the team's League home opener. The 4-1 victory ended Princeton's 12-game League winning streak and marked the Big Green's fourth consecutive conference win dating back to last season.
After last weekend's late win against the University of Massachusetts, co-captain Lucky Mkosana '12 said Dartmouth (3-3-2, 1-0-0 Ivy) needed to score earlier in its future games. The Big Green succeeded on Saturday, netting all of its four goals in the game's first 37 minutes.
"We did a lot of finishing drills in practice and the strikers worked a lot on one v. one in front of goal," he said. "We worked on focusing on the target and all of the practice helped us have the right mentality in the game."
Not only did Dartmouth outscore the Tigers (1-6-1, 0-1-0 Ivy) in the first half, but it also dominated possession and made it difficult for Princeton to penetrate into Big Green territory to start an attack.
Colin Heffron '15 opened the scoring 10 minutes into the game, confidently dribbling between the Princeton defense until pulling the trigger 10 yards from the goal.
Head coach Jeff Cook said scoring the game's first goal was crucial to setting the pace for the rest of the match.
"Getting the first goal was important and gave us confidence," he said. "Our level of play following the goal was outstanding and the team responded well to the lead. We were more efficient with the chances we created in front of goal."
Heffron continued to threaten on attack, working the ball to teammate Kevin Dzierzawski '13 in the box just two minutes after his goal. Dzierzawski settled the ball and slotted it near post before Tiger junior goalkeeper Max Gallin could make a play.
Mkosana then lit up the field with back-to-back goals in the 30th and 37th minutes of the game.
Both goals began as defensive stops. Aaron Gaide '11 received the first clear and worked the ball to Mkosana for the first goal, and Dzierzawski connected with him for the second.
One of Princeton's best attempts of the game came in the 37th minute, when a shot rocketed off the crossbar and back into Big Green territory. The play fizzled out, but the Tigers found the back of the net just a few minutes later. Patrick O'Neil received the ball in the box and put it past Big Green goalie Noah Cohen '14 in the 43rd minute.
Cohen was a key component to Dartmouth's success, stopping seven shots in the game. Cohen also helped extinguish four Princeton corner kick attempts. The Big Green had no corners in the game.
The teams combined for 19 fouls, reflecting the high stakes for both squads in the League opener.
Cook said the win will give Dartmouth a confidence boost for the rest of the season.
"It is always nice to get off to a good start and this was the best possible start we could have asked for," Cook said. "We are delighted but there is a long way to go with the rest of the League games. I am very proud of the way we played."
Dartmouth will seek to build off its success on Saturday as it practices this week, Mkosana said.
"We just need to keep scoring goals and focusing," he said. "The win makes us feel really confident going into Tuesday and now we know we can do it. We just need to focus, stay calm and do what we've been doing." The Big Green faces the University of Vermont on Tuesday night at Burnham Field.
"Midweek games are a big challenge and UVM is a big rival," Cook said. "I think we have a mature squad and a lot of good players so we have to use the whole team effectively in this big event. Hopefully we will get student support because that always helps."
