Corner Kicks Doom Princeton as Tigers fall to Columbia

The Tigers learned Saturday that playing with fire will occasionally get you burned. Princeton (6-5-1 overall, 0-2-1 Ivy) couldn’t effectively clear Columbia’s corner kicks in extra time, as Vana Markarian scored for the Lions (8-2-1, 2-0-1) to break the one all tie and hand Princeton its second straight Ivy League defeat.

Playing up in the city on the afternoon of Oct. 15, Princeton had hoped to ride momentum from its 4-1 beatdown over in-state opponent Rutgers (0-10-2) earlier that week. Princeton was carrying a two-game road win streak into Columbia, hoping to collect its first Ivy League win of the season. Senior defensemen Greg Seifert looked like he would lead the charge, having four great chances to score — two in each half. The first nearly went by Lion goalie Dylan Castanheira before he saved it between his legs. The second chance midway through the second half was shot hard and ricocheted off the right post on what would have been the go ahead goal.

Siefert scored the lone goal of the contest for the Tigers in the 51st minute, weaving between two defenders to score off of a feed from sophomore midfielder Sean McSherry. That was Seifert's seventh goal of the season, the most of any Tigers player this year. Siefert once again looked poised to lead the Tigers to victory if his shots went through.

However, Columbia’s John Denis scored the first goal of in the 37th minute and once again in overtime. Columbia, like Princeton, also had some good chances, but senior goalie Josh Haberman stood tall and saved six of the eight shots on goal. Haberman was the reason this game went into extra time, stopping a header off of a free kick in the final minute of regulation. He also had a great save in the 56th minute to keep the game tied 1-1.

The overtime period was thrilling to watch. Columbia had three consecutive corners, two of which resulted in headers on goal and the third of which accounted for the game winning goal. Princeton attempted to clear the ball multiple times, but deflections and redirects left them little opportunity to clear without forcing another Columbia corner.

The loss hurts the Tigers, as they have dropped their second straight Ivy league contest and have fallen to 0-2-1 in league play this year. That currently puts them at No. 7 in the Ivy League with one point, trailing league leaders Columbia, Dartmouth (4-2-5, 2-0-1), and Harvard (7-3-2, 2-0-1), each with seven points. The Tigers will look to take control of league games moving forward as they attempt to claw their way back into the title race. They have shown their heart before and it is clear they can compete and win any game.

The Tigers face Georgetown on Oct.18, concluding their three-game road trip in the nation’s capital. They then have a few days off before a critical showdown on Saturday against the Harvard Crimson. The Tigers won last year’s meeting in Massachusetts by a score of 3-2.