HANOVER, N.H.- The Dartmouth men's soccer team used two first-half goals en route to a 2-0 win over South Carolina at Burnham Field on Friday night. The game was the second game of the annual Dartmouth Classic Tournament.
Dartmouth (1-1-1) didn't need much time to get on the board and scored their first marker of the season just 41 seconds into the game. Freshman forward Alex Adelabu (Houston, Texas) picked up his first collegiate goal after being on the receiving end of a ball deflected to his feet inside the South Carolina box. Senior forward Lucky Mkosana (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) picked up the ball in the midfield, dribbled down to the top of the South Carolina box and hit a driven ball at South Carolina goalkeeper Alex Long. Long made the initial save, but the ball popped out and found Adelabu's feet for the early score.
Mkosana, who had a game-best three shots, led the Big Green offense. Aaron Gaide (Avon, Conn.) and Kevin Dzierzawski (Oakland Township, Mich.) each contributed two shots in the contest while five other Dartmouth players recorded shots. Goalkeeper Noah Cohen (Johannesburg, South Africa) made two saves in 90 minutes of action and posted his second shutout of the season.
Mkosana added his own tally in the 10th minute of action capitalizing on a Gamecock defensive breakdown on a loose ball in the box, putting the Big Green up, 2-0. Both teams had scoring opportunities before the halftime break. Dartmouth reserve midfielder Gabe Hoffman-Johnson (Falmouth, Maine) had a shot blocked just before the halftime buzzer while South Carolina had a chance on a header from Eric Martinez, but neither team made it onto the scoreboard and Dartmouth took a 2-0 lead at halftime.
The second half featured scoring chances from both sides including a nice attempt from Gaide in the Gamecock 18-yard box that was blocked by a South Carolina defender and a half-volley from Mkosana that Long saved with a dive. Neither team could find the back of the net in the second half and Dartmouth earned the 2-0 result for its first win at Burnham Field this season.
In the opening game of the Dartmouth Classic, Bradley upended No. 11 South Florida, 2-1, in overtime. Bradley will square off with South Carolina at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday (Sept. 11).
Dartmouth concludes 2011 Dartmouth Classic tournament action on Sunday (Sept. 11) when they take on No. 11 South Florida. Kickoff between the Big Green and Bulls is set for 1:30 p.m. at Burnham Field.
