Olsen's OT Winner Sends Dartmouth Past UNH, 2-1

Boxscore

HANOVER, N.H.- Junior Andrew Olsen (Norwell, Mass.) scored the game-winner tonight in overtime to push the Dartmouth men's soccer team to a critical win over New Hampshire, 2-1.

The victory allows the Big Green (9-5-1, 3-1-1 Ivy) to continue to build its NCAA Tournament resume heading into the final two Ivy games of the season. The Wildcats, who have played to overtime six times this season, drop to 7-6-4.

New Hampshire struck first with an impressive play by senior Kyle Urso. Just three minutes into the game the Wildcats drew a penalty kick and Urso stepped up. He fired low and Dartmouth keeper Sean Milligan (Westport, Conn.) made a great save to his left. The ball rebounded, however, and Urso burst through the collapsing defense to chest in his own rebound.

The Wildcats nearly had another goal just minutes later. Sean Coleman danced through the back line after a Dartmouth back tripped on the slippery field. He fired and Milligan made another brilliant save. Fortunately for the Big Green, Dylan George's rebound shot went wide.

The Big Green kept the tempo up and Aaron Gaide (Avon, Conn.) nearly tied it with a hard shot that UNH keeper Chris Devine managed to save.

Lucky Mkosana (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) had Dartmouth fans on their feet with just minutes left in the half when he nearly scored the equalizer. He fired from 20 yards out and the ball looked as if it was going to sail high. It curved down but not enough as it hit the post, ricocheting straight down and back up, nearly crossing the goal line.

Dartmouth wasted little time getting to work in the second half, pressuring UNH from the first whistle. The Big Green broke through in just the 48th minute when junior back Donnie Surdoval (Sparta, N.J.) headed in his third goal of the season off connections from Brendan Lane (Southport, Conn.) and Gaide.

Mkosana made one of his trademark runs and looked poised to score the go-ahead goal in the 60th minute. With defenders on either side of him, Mkosana fired but missed just wide. Dartmouth kept attacking the UNH goal throughout the half, outshooting the Wildcats, 9-1 and forcing Devine to make three saves in the period. Sophomore Austin Bowers (Old Greenwich, Conn.) was solid off the bench, nearly netting the winner late in the game and taking three shots total.

The Big Green attacked early in overtime and Mkosana had two early shots on goal that Devine somehow corralled. UNH counterattacked with a run by Sean Colman, but Dartmouth survived the rally and got back on track.

After outshooting UNH, 20-10 at the time, Dartmouth finally broke through in the 97th minute when Olsen fired a high shot over a leaping Devine from the top of the box off a rebounded shot by Mkosana.

For the game, Dartmouth finished with a 22-10 shot advantage. Milligan made five saves while Devine kept UNH in it with 11 stops.

Dartmouth is back in action this Saturday when it heads to Ithaca to take on Cornell at 7:00 p.m.

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