The Dartmouth men's soccer team now ranked first in the Ivy League had plenty to celebrate after its win over Cornell University at Burnham Field on Saturday. The 3-1 victory on the team's senior day elevated the Big Green to its first-place status, and co-captain Lucky Mkosana '12 broke the Dartmouth all-time record for both goals and points with his 34th career goal.
Dartmouth (8-5-3, 4-1-1 Ivy) broke Cornells's (8-2-5, 3-1-2 Ivy) 13-game unbeaten run, and handed the Big Red its first League loss this season.
"This group of seniors has done a really good job and are a critical part of the program," head coach Jeff Cook said. "While at times some players were overshadowed by previous senior classes, they maintained their efforts and discipline and are having a great senior season. The way our program works is that players develop for four years and by the time they graduate they are very important parts of the team."
Dartmouth's win had ripple effects throughout the League standings. Cornell entered the game first in the League, with Dartmouth and Brown University tied in second. With the win, Dartmouth moved into a tie with Brown (10-4-2, 4-1-1 Ivy) for first place, and dropped Cornell to a third-place tie with Columbia University.
The Big Green plays Brown on Saturday in Providence, R.I., in the final game of the regular season, which will essentially determine the League Champion.
Dartmouth came out firing early in what many soccer-enthusiasts considered the most important game of the season so far.
Twice in the opening minutes, Mkosana looked like he might have given the team the lead. On one chance, Kevin Dzierzawski '13 threaded the ball through two Cornell defenders to find Mkosana, who darted behind them and booted a shot that went just wide of the goal pipes. Adam Rice '12 put a header just over the crossbar, while Stoian Nedelchev '13 and co-captain Nick Pappas '12 both sent shots astray in the first half.
Cornell's best attempt of the half was a free kick just outside Dartmouth's penalty box. The Big Green suffered on set pieces earlier in the season, but deflected the ball away from the goal and extinguished the dangerous chance.
Although each team took six shots in the first half, the period ended deadlocked at zero.
Dzierzawski opened the scoring in the 49th minute. With the ball at his feet and time to look at the net, he fired the ball beyond the reach of Cornell freshman goalkeeper Zach Zagorski.
Dartmouth held on to the one-goal lead for the majority of the second half, but the tempo increased signficantly toward the end of the match. Both teams registered multiple shots and the two squads combined for three goals in the final six minutes.
"Cornell started pressing us really hard and we took advantage of that and were able to counterattack," Mkosana said. "We were also more focused in the second half and had better scoring chances."
Cook echoed Mkosana, adding that the Big Red gave Dartmouth more scoring opportunities since it changed its strategy and had all its lines push forward.
"We thought the game was decided after [Dartmouth's second] goal but Cornell kept pressing to equalize," Cook said. "Lucky has fantastic speed and was able to settle in behind the defense for the last goal."
In the 85th minute, Rice connected with Gaide in the midfield. Gaide played a long ball to Maarten van Ess '12, who fought for the ball in the box and slotted it into the net. Cornell responded less than one minute later, however, as sophomore Patrick Slogic collected and finished a cross that flew in from the flank.
Still leading, the Big Green did not slow down on offense and kept looking for an insurance goal. Gaide picked up his second assist of the game as he played the ball to Mkosana, who danced through the Big Red defense. Finding himself with a clear look at the net, Mkosana fired his record-breaking shot.
The previous goals record was set over 50 years ago by the late Bob Drawbaugh '54. Mkosana also broke the points record previously held by Vladdy Stanojevic '89, and now has 79 in his career.
"It feels awesome to have these records," Mkosana said. "It is a really special personal achievement. I want to thank the rest of the team I couldn't have done it without their hard work."
Goaltender Noah Cohen '14 logged another strong performance on Saturday, recording six saves in the match. He made three critical saves in the second half to keep the Big Green ahead on the scoreboard.
Mkosana said the team believed from the onset that if it "did the little things right" it could win the match.
"Since it was senior day, we wanted to kick them off the field," Mkosana said. "It was a special game and meant a lot to the seniors and the rest of the guys on the team. We need to keep this spirit up moving forward in our season."
Cook said he was "thrilled" with the win.
"From my point of view as the coach, I was very happy with the team's performance," he said. "I think the guys handled the pressure really well and deserved to win."
Dartmouth must beat Brown on the road on Saturday, however, if it is to win the League. A loss would give Brown the title, while a tie would make the final outcome uncertain.
Mkosana acknowledged the high stakes of next weekend's game, but said he is optimistic about the team's chances.
"It is always tough to play at Brown," Mkosana said. "We will try to get up early and get goals like we did [against Cornell]. If we play as well as we just did, we will be fine."
Winning the Championship would give the Big Green an automatic NCAA tournament bid.
Dartmouth plays Brown in Providence at 4 p.m. on Saturday.
