Ivy League play is in full swing, and at the conclusion of the second week of the season, Dartmouth men’s soccer sits alone at the top of the standings. After a long and arduous pre-season that took them across the country playing tough competition, it seems that the team is ready to take on the perpetually competitive Ivy League soccer landscape.
The Big Green secured a win in New Jersey against Princeton University 2-1 on Sept. 23. The match was extremely competitive, but Dartmouth was offensively dominant. To Princeton’s one corner kick, Dartmouth had six. Dartmouth also outshot Princeton 15 to eight.
Despite this advantage, Princeton was the first to break the deadlock, scoring in the ninth minute after a series of attempts in the first few minutes of the game. Dartmouth rallied quickly in response.
Two first-years combined to net Dartmouth’s first goal of their 2023 Ivy League play. Trenton Blake ’27 assisted Douglas Arveskär ’27 for a 27th-minute goal to tie the game. The game would remain at a standstill until Sam Fenton ’26, off of a cross from Kristian Feed ’25, headed in the game-winning goal in the 69th minute.
Fenton was a clear standout during the match. He played the full 90 minutes, contributing heavily on both sides of the ball, most notably through his goal, which was his second of the year. For his stellar performance against Princeton, Fenton was chosen as the Ivy League Defensive Player of the Week.
Prior to their game against the University of Pennsylvania on Sept. 30 in Hanover, Fenton reflected upon his award and Big Green soccer matches. When asked about his recent distinction, Fenton attributed his personal recognition to the whole team effort.
“It feels amazing … I think a lot of that plays into the hard work that we do as a group and as a team,” Fenton said. “I always say that one’s individual success relies on everybody around them, and I think it was definitely a team effort to get that win, and it means a lot for me to be recognized in that way.”
Fenton continued to give plaudits to his teammates during his recap of the game against the Tigers. He spoke highly of the energy and passion that the team played with despite exceedingly drab weather conditions and a long away trip to the Garden State. That sort of intensity is what Fenton hoped the team would carry into their game against Penn, the defending champions of the Ivy League title.
“This upcoming Saturday, we’re excited, we have a game plan and we’re going to have that same belief that we had against Princeton to come up with energy, especially on our own field,” Fenton said.
The Big Green’s energy was evident during their Saturday game against the Quakers. The first half had a series of near misses for both teams, yet neither team was able to put one past in the first period.
In the second half, it was set pieces that gave Dartmouth the advantage. Only a few minutes after the game resumed, Dartmouth received a free kick on the left side that Feed crossed into the box toward Alexis Huneau ’27. Huneau redirected the ball to Vasilis Moiras ’27, who met it at the back post to tap past Penn’s goalkeeper.
Just four minutes later, Dartmouth earned another spot-kick on the left, now just around 20 yards out from goal. Rather than cross again, Feed went straight for goal, curling it up and over the five-man Penn wall and past the fully-stretched dive of Penn’s keeper for Dartmouth’s second goal.
With this goal, Dartmouth secured a stronghold of the game and had a few missed chances to score, but stayed solid defensively. Even with a few close attempts from the opposing side, Dartmouth held on and maintained a clean sheet against a talented Penn front line.
After the game, Coach Bo Oshoniyi emphasized their game plan to neutralize the Penn forwards, especially Stas Korzeniowski, who was awarded Ivy League Men’s Player of the Year and All-American distinctions in the 2022 season.
Given their recent success, Oshoniyi described Dartmouth as a committed team, which has given them the opportunities to win at this high level of competition.
“[The Big Green] identity is to be the hardest working team in the league,” Oshoniyi said.
Feed, a standout in the Penn game, attributed these two wins against Princeton and Penn to the work ethic that Oshoniyi identified, but also to the team’s camaraderie and brotherhood. Feed also credited the outstanding success to the team’s drive to win.
“From the first minute against both Princeton and again [against Penn], we wanted to win so much more than them, so I think that’s been the biggest thing,” Feed said. “You can see it again now they underestimated us.”
Coach Oshoniyi naturally wants to continue this momentum going forward.
“There is only one goal at Dartmouth for men’s soccer, and that’s to be Ivy League champions,” Oshoniyi said. “That’s their goal from day one.”
Looking ahead, the team returns to Burnham Field on Oct. 3 for out-of-conference play against Bryant University, the 28th-ranked team in the nation for Division 1. On Saturday, Oct. 7, the Big Green will return to Ivy League play, heading to New Haven to play Yale University. As the Bulldogs have tied their last two matches with the Big Green, Dartmouth looks to secure another win and bolster their current standing.
