After shutout wins during the week, men’s and women’s soccer ended their games in overtime on the road against Yale University on Saturday. The men conceded a game-tying goal with 40 seconds left and finished overtime with no goals to finish 2-2. The women’s team went into overtime deadlocked at 1-1 but conceded a goal to lose at the end of the first overtime period.
The men started off the week with a victory against Hofstra University on Tuesday, getting a 3-0 win at home. Wyatt Omsberg ’18, Justin Donawa ’19 and Noah Paravicini ’19 each scored goals in the shutout.
“I think [the game against] Hofstra was a good performance overall,” men’s soccer head coach Chad Riley said. “[It’s] always good to get a midweek win. A lot of guys were able to contribute.”
The team played its third game in eight days against Yale, which lasted 110 minutes with no side able to grab a winning goal.
“Yale was a good competitive game, but I think we’re disappointed in the end with the result.” Riley said.
It seemed that Dartmouth was the stronger side early in the game, jumping out to an early two-goal lead within the first 25 minutes of play.
“We were cruising in the first half,” Riley said. “We got two goals and maybe could have had another one. It was a very hot day. I think our legs started to go.”
Dartmouth had the added challenge of going on the road to New Haven. The turf field at Yale’s Reese Stadium proved difficult for the Big Green, which is accustomed to playing on the grass of Burnham Field.
“It’s a challenging turf field, and it’s not the prettiest game you’ll ever see,” Riley said.
Yale spent the second half consistently on the attack to cut into Dartmouth’s two-goal lead. Yale defenseman Cameron Riach got the Bulldogs started early in the second half, scoring four minutes in. With the game on the line, midfielder Miguel Yuste created and finished a chance with 40 seconds left, forcing the game into two 10-minute overtime periods.
“Credit to our guys, it was a real punch in the gut,” Riley said. “We came back well and responded in overtime.”
Despite strong play and some dangerous chances made, Dartmouth was unable to find a winner in overtime.
The women’s team was on the opposite side of a comeback against Yale, scoring in the second half to force overtime despite eventually losing. The team mood was not all negative after the loss, as many saw positives in the comeback and the competitiveness of the game.
“It was a good game,” starting keeper Mariel Gordon ’21 said. “It was tied at the half, then they scored in the second half and we answered.”
In the end, the hard fought battle against Yale was decided with a late goal toward the end of the first overtime by Yale’s Ariel Chavarin. Because of the sudden death rules of overtime, Dartmouth had no chance to respond.
“In some of these Ivy League games it comes down to four or five plays,” women’s soccer head coach Ron Rainey said. “They were able to make one at the end.”
It was Dartmouth’s third game against an Ivy League opponent and its third loss.
“We were unlucky against Yale but also against Brown [University] when we lost in overtime,” Gordon said.
Despite a slow start, Rainey said the team feels prepared after a difficult slate of non-conference games before Ivy League play began.
“Most of the teams in the Ivy League are at the same level as the teams we played in the preseason like Northeastern [University] and [Boston University],” Gordon said.
Both the men and women continue their Ivy League seasons this upcoming Saturday against the University of Pennsylvania. The women also play non-conference opponent College of the Holy Cross on Tuesday.
“Like anything, you take lessons from each game,” Riley said. “We’ll analyze it. We have a day off tomorrow and no midweek game, so we’ll be able to prepare.”
