Men's Soccer Hosts #17 Penn for Critical Ivy Contest

The Dartmouth men's soccer team looks to make it three wins in a row when it hosts 17th ranked Penn, tied atop the Ivy standings, this Saturday at 4 p.m. on Burnham Field.

While not do-or-die time, the Big Green (6-3-1, 1-1 Ivy) could use a win over the Quakers (9-2, 2-0 Ivy) on Saturday to remain in what should be a competitive Ivy Championship race. #17 Penn is the third ranked team Dartmouth will play this fall, having defeated #25 New Mexico and fallen to #14 Creighton.

Game 11: Dartmouth (6-3-1, 1-1 Ivy) vs. #17 Penn (9-2, 2-0 Ivy)
Date: Saturday, Oct. 16, 2010 • 4:00 PM
Location: Burnham Field • Hanover, N.H.
Admission: Adults $6, Youth (14 & Under) $3
Series Record: Penn leads, 29-20-9
The first Dartmouth-Penn soccer game was contested in 1916 and the teams met again in 1919, both Penn victories. They did not battle again until 1949 and the annual series reconvened in 1955. It took Dartmouth six tries to get its first win, but the Green broke through with a 2-1 victory in 1958. In the more recent history, the Big Green has won three of the last four against the Quakers, including a big 3-1 win last season in Philadelphia. Penn helped force the two teams into a tie for the 2008 Ivy Championship with a 1-0 win over Dartmouth at Burnham Field.

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A LOOK AT DARTMOUTH: The Big Green (6-3-1, 1-1 Ivy) has won its last two straight, scoring a season-high three goals in each with wins over Vermont, 3-2, and Yale, 3-1. Dartmouth's most recent outing was a critical 3-1 win over Yale at Burnham Field last Saturday night. After playing to a scoreless tie at halftime, the Big Green wasted little time getting on the board when Daniel Keat broke the stalemate in the 48th minute. The Bulldogs answered that goal, but would be silenced by Aaron Gaide's second goal in as many games off a feed from Lucky Mkosana, the eventual winner. The Big Green got some insurance when Mkosana scored one of his own to ensure the victory. Dartmouth enjoyed scoring balance during the six goal week, with Gaide and Keat each scoring twice and Mkosana and Maarten van Ess each adding one.

Dartmouth's offense has been incredibly spread out, with seven players tied for the team lead with two goals each. Lucky Mkosana is the overall leading scorer with seven points on three assists and two goals. Andrew Olsen ranks second on the team with six points on two goals and two assists. Sean Donovan (Burr Ridge, Ill.) has started nine of 10 games in goal, posting a 1.27 goals against average and 27 saves.

A LOOK AT PENN: The Quakers have amassed an impressive 9-2 record, but have had their fair share of close games. Both of Penn's losses have been 1-0 games, but it has also won six one-goal games itself. The last three games on the Penn schedule all resulted in 1-0 wins, including the Quakers' two Ivy victories over Cornell and Columbia. Freshman Stephen Baker has had little trouble adapting to the collegiate game, leading Penn with 16 points including seven goals. Travis Cantrell ranks second on the team in points, with 11, and goals with four. In goal, Ben Berg has done more than his share of work to lead the team to a paltry 0.53 goals against average. The senior waited his turn until last fall when he played in 11 games and has fine-tuned his game this fall, making 45 saves.

ATHLETES UNITED SPOTLIGHT: At halftime of the men's soccer game, local youth participants in Athletes United will take part in a special obstacle course game. Athletes United is a free sports program for local children, grades three-six, that was co-founded by women's soccer players Becky Poskin '09 and Myra Sack '10. Men's soccer player Adam Rice is one of the current student leaders of the program.

NATIONAL TEAM OF THE WEEK: CollegeSoccerNews.com tabbed senior Daniel Keat to its National Team of the Week after he scored a goal in each of the Big Green's two wins last week. Keat scored the game-tying goal with seven minutes to play at Vermont, giving his team the spark it needed to get the winner less than a minute later. Against Yale, Keat blew a scoreless game wide open with a goal in the 48th minute of play, eventually leading to a 3-1 Dartmouth win.

ASSAULTING THE RECORD BOOKS: Two current Dartmouth players have already inked their names on the program record books for scoring. Junior Lucky Mkosana (Bulwayo, Zimbabwe) should have his sights set on the career records for both goals and points as he was more than halfway to both marks after just two collegiate seasons. As of Oct. 15, Mkosana now has 21 career goals, which is tied for seventh and is 12 away from the record of 33, held by Bob Drawbaugh '54. He also has 51 career points, ranking seventh and just 26 points away from Vladdy Stanojevic's '90 record of 77. Senior Daniel Keat currently has 46 career points, which has him tied for eighth place on the all-time list. Keat's 18 goals have him one away from cracking the career top-10.

NEXT TIME OUT: Dartmouth is back on the road for a two-game stretch starting off on Saturday, Oct. 23 at Columbia. The Big Green then has a midweek date at Boston College with revenge on the menu. The Eagles bested the Green, 2-1 in overtime in last season's NCAA Tournament first round matchup.

Schedules