Big Green Scores Winning Goal In Final Minute Of First Overtime

NEW HAVEN, Conn.  - The Yale men's soccer team did an excellent job of containing Daniel Keat, the Ivy League's leading scorer, during Saturday's game with Dartmouth. The Bulldogs limited him to only one shot. Yale, though, didn't have an answer for Lucky Mkosana. Mkosona scored a pair of goals, including the game winner in the final minute of the first overtime, to lift the 24th-ranked Big Green to a 2-1 victory on a cool and windy afternoon at Reese Stadium.

Yale (3-5-2) fell to 0-2 in Ivy play. Both losses have come in overtime to nationally ranked opponents. The Bulldogs were beaten 1-0 by eighth-ranked Harvard last Saturday when Brian Rogers scored in the second extra period.

The Bulldogs had the better of the play in the first 45 minutes against Dartmouth, and they were rewarded at 30:18 when Scott Armbrust scored his team-leading fifth goal of the season. Brad Rose set up the goal by beating Big Green goalkeeper Sean Donovan to a ball and centering it to Armbrust, who was wide open in front for an easy tap in.

Yale then had a couple of opportunities to increase the lead. Donovan dove to his right to rob Charlie Neil in the 32nd minute, and Armbrust drilled a shot from 20 yards out that skimmed off the crossbar late in the first half.

"I thought we played very well in the first half," said Yale head coach Brian Tompkins. "We had a couple of chances to kill the game, and we didn't take advantage."

Mkosana scored the tying goal midway through the second half when he dribbled down the left side and fired a shot into the right corner from 15 yards out.

The Big Green (7-2-1, 2-0 Ivy) had the first four shots of overtime and then got the game-winner on shot No. 5. Pumi Maqubela sent a long ball forward from the Dartmouth end. Mkosana outraced a Yale defender to the ball and slipped a shot past Yale goalkeeper Travis Chulick.

Dartmouth finished with a 14-9 edge in shots and a 7-3 advantage in corner kicks.

Chulick again played well in goal, finishing with five saves. Donovan stopped two shots.

"We have to grow in our execution in key moments," Tompkins said. "I thought we worked hard and competed hard, but we just weren't clinical enough to finish."

The Bulldogs are back in action on Tuesday when they travel to Providence for a 3 p.m. kickoff.

Report filed by Tim Bennett, Yale Sports Publicity