Men’s Soccer Suffers First Shut Out of Season

Tuesday, September 17

Hanover, N.H.

7:00 PM

Dartmouth College

1-3-1, 0-0-0

UMass

4-1-2, 0-0-0

Massachusetts

Dartmouth

Photo by: Dom Gallo

Men’s Soccer Suffers First Shut Out of Season

9/17/2024 10:00:00 PM | Men's Soccer

Box Score

By: Rebecca Osowski

HANOVER, N.H. – After playing well in a loss to the UConn Huskies Friday, the Big Green welcomed the UMass Minutemen to Burnham Field, looking to bounce back. The Minutemen were hot from the jump though, ultimately defeating the Big Green, 5-0.

With the loss, Dartmouth falls to 1-3-1 on the season.

UMass wasted no time, getting on the board in the third minute. Alec Hughes continued his impressive offensive play as of late, putting the Minutemen up 1-0. He would score again just over three minutes later, doubling the UMass lead. The minutemen added one more in the first half, heading into halftime with a 3-0 lead.

The Big Green had chances in the first half but came into the second with a new buzz, generating chances and beginning to swing momentum in their favor early in the half.

UMass found the back of the net again though, stopping the Dartmouth momentum. They would score again later in the half on their way to a 5-0 victory.

"As far as the game goes, we were never in it. We didn't have the energy right from the start. At halftime we kind of talked about just pride, trying to at least represent yourself in a good way. I think we did that in the second half," Oshoniyi said. "We tried to do some things and tried to change some things to get some chances, so I was happy with that but overall, this isn't us. And I think right now we have to take a deep dive and figure out what kind of team we want to be because the team we were on Friday to the team we were today is night and day."

In addition to changes at half, Oshoniyi had first-year goalkeeper Konstantinos Dellas make his first collegiate start, hoping to show where he stood after good training sessions through preseason and the early regular season. Despite the loss, Oshoniyi said "he stood tall when he had to" and this experience will allow him to further develop.

The Big Green will return to Burnham Field for their last of five straight home games, hosting the Bryant Bulldogs. While the goal is always to win, Oshoniyi wants his team to focus more on "representing yourself like a team that wants to compete for an Ivy league championship."

While disappointed in the outcome, Oshoniyi has parting words for fans.

"…This isn't us. I think for me it's a poor representation of what we are trying to do. I think 18 to 21, 22-year-olds are going to have off nights, and I think this was one of them," Oshoniyi said. "But I can tell you this, we will be back to put on better performances not only for ourselves but for the Dartmouth community and we will represent the Dartmouth athletic department in a better light than we did tonight."

Kickoff for Saturday's matchup against the Bulldogs is at 5 p.m. The game will be streamed on NESN+, or you can purchase tickets to see the Big Green live here.