Men's soccer looks to reverse offensive struggles against Columbia

When trying out a new car, you submit it to a series of tests. You see how quickly it can go from zero to 60. You take it on curvy, winding roads. You drive it under the harshest of conditions.

This weekend, the Tigers' struggling offense is going for a test-drive — but on men's soccer's version of a crowded New York street.

Princeton (4-2 overall, 0-1 Ivy League) will face a halting Columbia defense in the Lions' (2-3-1, 0-0) Ivy opener.

Columbia's defense has recorded three shutouts in its last four games. Last season, goalie Matt Hill was ranked ninth in Division I with a 0.67 goals-against average. And a newcomer goalie, Mike Ewers, is splitting time this year with Hill and has recorded a .913 save percentage so far this season.

The Lions will provide quite a test for the puttering Tiger offense.

After winning their first four games — in which the Tigers pounded out 10 goals — Princeton has since dropped its last two , scoring a lone goal in its two losing efforts.

"I think that we feel frustrated that we haven't been getting more goals the last couple games," head coach Jim Barlow '91 said.

The Tigers' frustrations began when they gave up three goals against Dartmouth in their league opener. An uncharacteristically lackluster effort against the Big Green and uncoordinated scoring efforts doomed the Princeton squad, making its next Ivy match almost a must win.

Princeton had a chance to straighten things out in a non-league matchup against Rutgers on Wednesday. And although the Tigers lost, 2-0, they showed a lot of improvement on the field.

"The Dartmouth game was a wakeup call and we started to get ourselves going [Wednesday] night," Barlow said. "We're frustrated that we didn't get the win, but I think we realized how much it's going to take to get back on track."

Since the Dartmouth game, the Tigers have been working on getting into better position in order to increase their possession time.

"We're trying to sort out a few plays where guys are stepping out and winning the ball," Barlow said, "but then we're not winning the second ball. When we lose it, it means that we've got a few guys out of position."

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The Tiger defense, which only gave up 18 goals in 17 games last season, cannot afford to give up any more soft goals.

Last year, the Tigers started off 2-0 in the Ivy League. Then the Lions came to town. After Princeton held the visitors to 80 minutes of scoreless play, Columbia scored off a rebound from inside the goal box to give the Lions the 1-0 win. The Tigers know that it's going to be another hard-fought game this year.

'Another battle'

"They have some dangerous guys up front," Barlow said. "It's going to be another battle. We haven't beaten Columbia in a long time and it's a very difficult place to play."

There are, however, some bright spots for the Tigers.

Junior forward Mike Nugent leads the team with five goals — after scoring a total of eight last season — and should easily surpass last year's record. Junior forward Matt Behncke has also added four goals for the Tigers.

Perhaps the most heartening news for Princeton is that it is not alone in its current offensive woes. The Tigers need look no further than the Lions to find a team also mired in an scoring slump. Despite its defensive prowess, Columbia lacks offensive punch, having scored only three goals in its first six games.

The Tigers hope to keep it that way for the Lions' offense, and reverse their own fortunes at that end of the field as well.