The men’s soccer team faced the University of Pennsylvania at home on Oct. 25, seeking a third consecutive Ivy League win. Despite a lively first 45 minutes from the Big Green, neither team managed to pull ahead. However, two second-half goals from the Quakers sealed the deal, and they left Burnham Field with a 2-0 victory over Dartmouth.
The two teams were neck-and-neck in the first half. Penn registered one more shot than the Big Green in the period. Although the score remained 0-0, both the Big Green and the Quakers created numerous opportunities to score. In the seventh minute, a cross from defender Hudson Kohler ’29 into Penn’s penalty area found striker Douglas Arveskär ’27, who headed the ball just above the goal. Four minutes later, Arveskär got another chance when a Dartmouth pass bounced favorably off a Penn defender. Despite getting a shot off, his outside-the-box strike was saved by Quakers keeper Phillip Falcon III.
The Quakers also often found themselves with the ball in positions that threatened the Big Green’s goal. Dartmouth goalkeeper Konstantinos Dellas ’29 made crucial saves to keep the hosts in the game. One crucial save occurred in the 33rd minute, when the ball was headed towards the goal following a UPenn corner kick. Head coach Bo Oshoniyi praised the first-year keeper after the game, saying that he was “really happy” with the big saves Dellas made throughout the 90 minutes.
Dartmouth and Penn registered four and five shots, respectively, in the first half. The two sides committed seven fouls, with Dartmouth receiving one yellow card at the break.
The tide began to turn in the second half. Penn registered ten shots compared to the Big Green’s four. The Quakers finally broke the deadlock in the 68th minute after a Dartmouth throw-in landed at the feet of Penn junior Malachi Neal. The defender passed to senior midfielder Patrick Cayelli, whose outside-the-box strike got past Dellas and gave the Quakers a 1-0 lead. Cayelli is tied for the lead in both goals and assists in the Ivy League, with eight and six, respectively.
Penn found the back of the net once again less than four minutes later, when senior defender Oliver Pratt’s long ball from the halfway line connected with sophomore midfielder Marco Bottene, who scored from close range.
The Big Green had a few chances to get back in the game in the last 20 minutes, with midfielder Olly Spicer ’29 coming close to scoring on two separate occasions. However, Dartmouth could not respond to Penn’s two goals, and the Quakers came away victorious. According to forward James Wilson ’26, despite the loss, the Big Green were “battling for the game.”
“It was an ugly game in the first half, but we knew it was just going to be a dogfight,” Wilson said. “And in the second half, they just had more stamina than us.”
The 2-0 loss dropped Dartmouth to 3-6-3 overall and 2-3 in the Ivy League. The Big Green fell to fourth in the conference standings as Penn overtook them for the third spot.
The team was able to get into attacking positions throughout the game, reflected by the eight shots and three on goal, but couldn’t capitalize on those chances. Oshoniyi added that the team needs to retain the ball and keep possession for longer spells.
“I think [focusing on] just keeping the ball, winning second balls and being able to actually possess the ball in the attacking third,” the coach said. “I think in transition, we were good, but then our final product wasn’t there.”
Defender Sam Fenton ’26 said that his main takeaway from the game was “knowing how to deal with adversity when it hits.” Fenton went on to say that the team needed to be able to fight for the full 90 minutes to remain competitive in a game.
“When we go down 1-0, we can’t drop our heads,” he said.
Dartmouth will travel to Princeton, N.J., this Saturday to take on conference leaders Princeton University. The Tigers are also ranked first in the country according to the NCAA Men’s Soccer Rating Percentage Index, providing a tough but exciting opportunity for the Big Green to get back on track.
“We’re going in against the best team in the country, essentially,” Wilson said. “So we have to be able to know how to face adversity … and kind of get up for the next one every time something doesn’t go our way.”
