Second Half Goals Send Columbia Past #15 Dartmouth Men's Soccer

Sunday, October 25

HANOVER, N.H.

2:30 PM

Dartmouth College

COLUMBIA

Second Half Goals Send Columbia Past #15 Dartmouth Men's Soccer

10/25/2009 6:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer

By: Dartmouth

Boxscore

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

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 (Burr Ridge, Ill.) 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 (Greenwich, Conn.) had perhaps the best look of the half early on when he fired one at close range that was saved. Dartmouth put three corner kicks into the box but the Lions defense managed to clear them all.

After a scoreless first half, Columbia came out firing in the second. The Lions had a dangerous run in the 52^nd minute with numbers in the box but rookie Kevin Dzierzawski (Oakland Twp., Mich.) managed to clear the ball out to potentially save a goal. Ten minutes later Daniel Keat (Wellington, New Zealand) 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 69^th 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 (Kalmar, Sweden) in the 72^nd 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.

Sophomore Maarten van Ess (Marlborough, Mass.) came in off the bench and gave the Big Green an instant boost. Though he could not break through either, having a header saved in the 75^th and one hit the post after an Andrew Olsen (Norwell, Mass.) free kick in the 77^th.

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

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

Dartmouth ultimately held a 15-10 shot advantage, outshooting Columbia 10-5 in the second half and earning six corner kicks to the Lions two overall.

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