Dartmouth's Matt Danilack, center, gets ready for a kick from the corner during the second half against St. Francis Brooklyn. Dartmouth beat St. Francis Brooklyn in double overtime at home on Thursday night, November 17, 2016, with a final score of 1-0. (Valley News - John Happel) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com.
Dartmouth's Matt Danilack, center, gets ready for a kick from the corner during the second half against St. Francis Brooklyn. Dartmouth beat St. Francis Brooklyn in double overtime at home on Thursday night, November 17, 2016, with a final score of 1-0. (Valley News - John Happel) Copyright Valley News. May not be reprinted or used online without permission. Send requests to permission@vnews.com. Credit: Valley News Photographs — John Happel

Hanover — Dartmouth College students attending Thursday’s men’s soccer NCAA playoff game were offered free chili as they entered Burnham Field. Two and a half hours later, those same fans and others exited, basking in the glow of the Big Green’s 1-0, overtime defeat of St. Francis of Brooklyn.

Midfielder Matt Danilack had the goal, settling an Alexander Marsh cross from the right corner and beating goalkeeper Seth Erdman with a low shot inside the right post during the 105th minute.

“It was definitely a relief,” said Danilack, whose tally was his fourth of the season. “We had a lot of chances and we knew they were a good defensive team. We had to stay patient.”

Said coach Chad Riley: “They were very difficult to break down, so I’m proud we were able to make their keeper make as many saves as he did. It’s a very easy game to get frustrated in, but I’m proud of the guys for winning it in overtime. We’re ecstatic to move on.”

The victory advances the Big Green (9-4-5) to a second-round game Sunday at eighth-seeded Syracuse. Dartmouth, which has won at least a share of the last three Ivy League titles, lost to the Orangemen, 2-1, in a second-round game there last season and is making its eighth NCAA appearance in the last 10 years.

St. Francis (12-5-3), the Northeast Conference champion for the third time in the last four years, hadn’t surrendered a goal since Sept. 28, posting nine consecutive shutouts and winning the NEC title game on penalty kicks. The Terriers were impressive in their own end but suffered a costly breakdown on the deciding play, which occurred with five minutes remaining in the second, 10-minute overtime.

The sequence began with Marsh pushing the ball up the right sideline and almost to the corner flag. The senior midfielder improbably used his outside foot to cross the ball back into the penalty area while on the run, the ball skidding past a startled defender and directly to Danilack. A bit to the right of the penalty area’s center and 15 yards from the goal line, the junior took his time before beating a diving Erdman, who was magnificent in making eight saves.

Dartmouth dominated the first half, taking all of the stanza’s six shots and twice hitting the crossbar. From the start, St. Francis was content to play numbers back and hope for counterattacks. Big Green goaltender James Hickok needed to make only one save as his team finished with a 13-5 shot advantage.

Prior to Danilack’s goal, Dartmouth’s best scoring chances came late in the second half. Matt Greer unleashed a left-footed blast from 15 yards and the penalty area’s left side with 10 minutes remaining but Erdman dove to make a dramatic save. Five minutes later, Noah Paravicini dribbled into the penalty area and was taken down, but referee Jason Pelletier waved for play to continue.

St. Francis’ best chance came in the 88th minute when Dartmouth flubbed a clearing attempt from near one post, allowing the Terriers’ Sal Barone to get off a rocket that sailed just wide of the opposite pipe.

“I try to do my best and be on my toes and be ready for a shot at any time,” said Hickok, second in the Ivies in save percentage this fall. “I thought we had the majority of the chances and… as soon as (Marsh’s) cross came in, I knew it was going to go in.”

Notes: Attendance was announced at 395… The contest was streamed live and for free on the online Ivy Digital Network, as will Sunday’s game at Syracuse. The Orangemen were seeded sixth for last season’s playoffs… St. Francis was making its 10th NCAA tournament appearance while Dartmouth is making its 17th. The Big Green reached the second round in 2008, 2010, 2014 and 2015 and the third round in 2008 and 2010… Dartmouth women’s soccer coach Ron Rainey served as the online broadcast’s color commentator. Rainey’s program is 23-16-10 overall and 4-9-8 in Ivy play during his three seasons, finishing second, seventh and eighth in the Ancient Eight standings… Collyns Laokandi, the NEC’s Defensive Player of the Year, was injured during the first half and did not return to action… The Terriers’ roster includes players from France, Albania, Guyana, Italy, Scotland, Germany and Venezuela. Out of 23 players, nine are Americans and seven of those are from New York… St. Francis junior Andrew Nestor’s high school in his native Guyana is named It Takes A Village Academy… St. Francis is located in Brooklyn Heights, N.Y., and has an enrollment of roughly 2,800… The NCAA Division I men’s semifinals and finals, known as the College Cup, will take place Dec. 9 and Dec. 11 at Houston’s BBVA Compass Stadium. That venue is home to MLS club Houston Dynamo, the Houston Dash of the National Women’s Soccer League and to Texas Southern football.

Tris Wykes can be reached at twykes@vnews.com or 603-727-3227.