Dartmouth Splits with Columbia

Women Win, Men Lose to Set Up Pivotal Showdowns with Harvard

Oct. 26, 2009

HANOVER, N.H. - Two second half goals and an impressive performance by its goalkeeper gave Columbia a 2-0 upset of the 15th ranked Dartmouth men’s soccer team Sunday.

The Big Green dropped to 8-4-1 overall and 3-1 in the Ivy League, now tied for first atop the league standings with Brown. Harvard lost to Princeton in overtime yesterday. Columbia improved to 4-7-3, 2-2 Ivy.

The Lions got both of their goals in the second half and withstood a frenzied Dartmouth attack in the final 20 minutes. Columbia goalie Alexander Aurrichio made six of his nine total saves in the second half. Dartmouth rookie keeper Sean Donovan played well despite the loss, making five stops.

The first half was fairly balanced as both teams had their chances to get on the board with five shots each and Aurrichio and Donovan were forced to make three and two saves, respectively. Austin Bowers had perhaps the best look of the half early on when he fired one at close range that was saved.

After a scoreless first half, Columbia came out firing in the second. The Lions had a dangerous run in the 52nd minute with numbers in the box but rookie Kevin Dzierzawski managed to clear the ball out to potentially save a goal. Ten minutes later, Daniel Keat made a great run down the right side and fired the ball into the box but Aurrichio picked it off before a shot could be fired.

Columbia broke through in the 69th minute when Bayo Adafin picked up a through ball from Pepe Carotenuto and beat his defender in a footrace back to the goal. Donovan lost his footing and Adafin beat him low right for a 1-0 lead.

Dartmouth’s counterattack in the final 20 minutes was relentless, starting with a header by Teo Larsson Sax in the 72nd minute that Aurrichio made a fingertip save on. Keat had a good chance just two minutes later with a free kick from about 35 yards out that was deflected away in the box.

The Lions put the game seemingly out of reach in the 84th minute, however, when Nick Ayers scored in a scramble in the box after a cross from Adafin to go up 2-0.

Lucky Mkosana had one last good look for the Big Green in the 87th but Aurrichio made yet another big save to preserve the shutout for the Lions.

The Big Green has a free week before heading down to Cambridge, Mass. to take on Ivy rival Harvard on Oct. 31 at 1:30 p.m. in a pivotal Ivy contest.

Dartmouth women 2, Columbia 0

HANOVER, N.H. - A late first half goal and a dominant second half performance helped the Dartmouth women’s soccer team remain in the Ivy race with a 2-0 win over Columbia Sunday.

After a tightly played first half, Dartmouth dominated Columbia in the second, outshooting the Lions, 11-1, in the period. Overall, the Big Green wound up with a 17-5 shot advantage, putting eight attempts on goal.

Senior back Thea Sutton made her first collegiate goal a memorable one on Homecoming, as her first half tally proved to be the game-winner. Sophomore goalie Colleen Hogan turned in one of her best performances of the season, making four saves while controlling play in the box and long crosses.

The Big Green moves to 8-6 overall and 3-2 in Ivy play while Columbia drops to 6-6-3, 2-2-1 Ivy. With three wins, Dartmouth has nine points to sit third in the Ivy standings. Yale and Harvard are tied for first at 4-1 with 12 points each. The Big Green can impact the standings directly next weekend at Harvard while it needs Yale to lose a game still.

Columbia actually set the tone early Sunday, getting three good looks in the first 20 minutes, including a corner kick in just the first minute of play that senior Myra Sack headed away. Ashley Mistele forced Hogan to make her first save of the game in the 11th minute from close range off the rebound from a Columbia free kick.

Dartmouth senior Becky Poskin nearly had the first goal of the game in the 27th minute when she fired from the right side and the ball went over Columbia keeper Lillian Klein’s head. Klein got a finger on the ball but it landed behind her, but was just shy of the goal line.

The teams battled back and forth in midfield until the 40th minute when Dartmouth earned a corner kick. Senior Kelsey Quick sent the ball into the box and after a bit of a scramble, Sutton came up with it and fired at point blank range to beat Klein and put Dartmouth ahead 1-0. While it was the first career goal for the senior defender, it was Quick’s team-leading fourth assist of the season.

The second half was all Dartmouth, with the Big Green dominating play and holding the Lions without a shot attempt until the 89th minute. Dartmouth fired at will on Klein including a four-minute stretch starting in the 59th minute when she had to make saves against Melisa Krjnaic, Ally Dutton and Quick in rapid succession.

In the 65th minute, Quick made a great run to beat the defense down the left side off a feed from Aly O'Dea. She fired what looked to be a sure goal but Klein made a great save. Sack was in position for a perfect rebound goal but was pushed off the ball by her defender. Klein made another fingertip save in the 68th minute when O’Dea sent a rocket in from the right side.

That resulted in the first of three consecutive corner kicks for Dartmouth, and the Big Green broke through on the third. Krjnaic sent the ball in from the right side and O’Dea was in perfect position at the near post to jump and easily pop in a header for a 2-0 Dartmouth lead in the 71st minute. It was O’Dea’s team-leading sixth goal of the season.

The Dartmouth women are back in action this coming Saturday, Oct. 31 when they travel to Ivy rival Harvard for a critical showdown at 11 a.m. in Cambridge.