M. soccer rebounds from three straight losses with victory

The men's soccer team had had enough.

Yesterday afternoon in Teaneck, N.J., the Tigers put an end to their three-game losing streak and offensive frustrations by winning 2-1 over host Farleigh Dickinson.

After the Knights (6-5-1 overall, 3-1 NEC) tied the game at one apiece in the 55th minute, junior forward Mike Nugent came storming back less than a minute later, scoring the game winner off an assist from sophomore Bob Nye. Nugent leads the team with six goals.

Princeton (5-3-0 overall, 0-2 Ivy League), which started off the season 4-0, earned the much-needed win by ending its scoring drought early in the game. In the three previous losses, the Tigers gave up six goals while only scoring one of their own.

But the offense finally got back into its early-season form — and remembered how to put the ball into the net.

Two firsts

Princeton ended its drought in the eighth minute when junior co-captain Graeme Rein received a pass from senior Matt Striebel and found the back of the net, beating Farleigh Dickinson goalkeeper Vytas Lenkutis. The goal was Rein's first of the season and also marked Streibel's first assist of the year.

Rein's strike would be the only score of the first half as the Tigers took a 1-0 lead into the locker room.

Farleigh Dickinson countered early in the second half, leveling the score on the strength of Aaron Payne's rip past Tiger goalkeeper Jason White. Payne's equalizer was set up by a deft pass from Dircev Hurtado, and the score stood knotted, 1-1, 55 minutes into play.

The Tigers, though, would not fold, as Nugent's goal in the following minute — combined with solid defensive play throughout the remainder of the contest — gave Princeton a reassuring victory.

Once again the Tigers outshot their opponent — except this time they were the ones who came out with the win. Princeton had 18 shots to the Knights' five.

White only had to make one save, while the Knights' Lenkutis got hammered by the resurgent Princeton offense and managed to make eight.

The win was huge for the Tigers. After losing their first two league games to Dartmouth and Columbia, Princeton needed to come out of its offensive funk, and sooner was better than later.