Dartmouth Stuns No. 6 Indiana

Four Goals is Big Green's Highest Total Since '03

September 8, 2008

SOUTH BEND, Ind. – A day after a hard-luck 2-1 loss to No. 8 Notre Dame that was decided on a last-second goal, the Dartmouth men’s soccer team took out its frustrations on the 6th-ranked team in the country, stunning Indiana, 4-0, Sunday at the Mike Berticelli Memorial Tournament.

The Big Green's four goals were the most it has scored since a 6-0 victory over St. Bonaventure on Sept. 28, 2003.

"This was a great victory for our team," said Dartmouth coach Jeff Cook. "We played well all weekend and it was nice to have that reward. This game gives us a lot of belief as we look forward and hope to improve."

Dartmouth's Craig Henderson scored two goals in a 4-0 upset over Indiana. (Dartmouth Athletics).

Dartmouth came out of the gates ready to prove it could hang with the nation's elite, putting the pressure on Indiana early. In the 10th minute, Craig Henderson had a shot at a wide open net after Indiana keeper Chay Cain was pulled out to stop the first attempt, but it sailed just high. The Hoosiers had their big chance just minutes later when Daniel Kelly's shot bounced off the hands of senior goalkeeper Sean Milligan (Westport, Conn.), but he was able to cover the rebound.

The Big Green got on the board in the 16th minute when rookie striker Lucky Mkosana scored his first collegiate goal, taking the ball from Cain and slipping past him to put the Big Green up, 1-0.

Dartmouth held its tenuous lead for the remainder of the first half, though Indiana nearly got on the board in the 31st minute when Rich Balchan shot during a scramble but Milligan made the stop. Indiana had an 8-7 advantage in shots for the period, but the Big Green held the 1-0 halftime lead.

It took some time for the Big Green to get an insurance goal, but once it came ¬ off the boot of Henderson ¬ the third and fourth followed quickly. Mkosana fed the ball into Henderson in the 64th minute, and he won the one-on-one battle with Cain, sliding the ball in at the far post. Just a minute later, Henderson was at it again for a header off a throw in by Walker Linares to make it 3-0, Dartmouth with just 25 minutes left to play.

"The goals really changed the way this game went and the score might make it seem like it was an easier game than it was," said Cook. "IU is a great team and the game had more of an ebb and flow to it, but when we got the second goal it really helped us play more confidently. We had scoring opportunities and we took them."

The Big Green added one more for good measure when sophomore Bryan Giudicelli sent a free kick into the box in the 79th minute. Marlborough, Mass. native Maarten van Ess used his 6-foot-4 frame to get a head on the ball, beating Cain to take the final to 4-0, Big Green.

Milligan had a solid day in goal, making six saves to preserve the shutout, while getting a boost from the backline of Giudicelli, Linares, Pumi Maqubela (Andover, Mass.) and Michael Donelan (Andover, Mass.).

Dartmouth will return to the friendly confines of Burnham Field this weekend when it hosts Fairleigh Dickinson, Yale and Colgate for the Nike/Hypertherm Classic on Friday and Sunday, Sept. 12-14.

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