Postseason hopes flicker as men's soccer falls to Ivy-rival Brown

The Princeton players gathered gloomily on the field, their shoulders sagging as some sat and slumped on the ground.

The men's soccer team (6-5-0 overall, 0-3-0 Ivy League) had just lost to Brown, 1-0, in front of 300 fans at Laurie-Love field Saturday night.

Still in shock from the implosion of their promising season, Tigers stared numbly after the game as head coach Jim Barlow '91 commended their effort in the post-game conference. Then they filed quietly into the locker room and fled from the field where the talented Tigers' hopes at an Ivy Championship and postseason play had shriveled into oblivion.

"Everyone was just kind of really shocked that when we play well we don't win," said junior midfielder Will Rodgers, who was forced to leave the game in the first half with back pains.

"We're pretty down," junior forward Lucas Moskowitz said. "I mean, we worked really hard for the whole game, fought with a lot of heart, competed the whole time. It just sucks to get that loss, especially for the seniors because now it's going to be real tough to make it into the tournament, and they only have a few games left for the rest of their lives. It's pretty disappointing."

Classless

Princeton had endured the humiliation of Brown forward Adrian Rapp ripping his shirt off after scoring the only goal of the game at 57:43, and dancing down the sidelines, waving his arms wildly.

The Tigers watched Rapp and seethed.

"It made me mad," Rodgers said. "But there wasn't much I could do about it."

Rodgers was stranded on the sidelines, and forced to exchange frustrated and incredulous looks with the infuriated Tigers on the field.

"It's very obnoxious," Rodgers said. "I didn't really approve of it. I thought it was a lack of class, but that's alright. Maybe if he were a professional soccer player I could let it slide. But he plays for Brown."

But even that was not enough to spur the Tigers to score.

With their leading scorer, junior forward Mike Nugent, unable to play after sustaining an injury against Seton Hall, the Tigers' attack was frantic and unfocused. They fought hard but were unable to convert any of their numerous chances. Shots skittered sideways, soared over the goal and smacked off the flying feet of Bear defenders.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

In the game's most crushing moment, a goal dumped in by junior defender Graeme Rein in the first half was disallowed after Rein was ruled offsides. The Tigers, who had swarmed Rein, leaping into the air and pumping their fists were forced to regroup. It was that kind of night.

Princeton had survived the scare of seeing sophomore goalkeeper Jason White slam heavily into the ground after one of his standard aggressive saves. After lying still for several minutes as anxious teammates collected around him, White — who had been kicked in the head against Seton Hall Wednesday night and was a last minute decision to play Saturday — sat up slowly and resumed playing.

Coming up short

But though White made spectacular saves, and the Tigers tangled with the Bears in fierce battles for balls, Princeton fumbled one offensive opportunity after another. And despite a furious effort in the final minutes, the Tigers were shut out for the fourth time this season.

"It's a total surprise," Rodgers said of the disappointing season. "I think we have a better team this year then we did last year. When the wins aren't coming, it's just frustrating. We've talked about it a lot. I don't think there's been a definitive answer."

Last year's team won the Ivy championship and went to the playoffs. After four fast victories, this year's Tiger team aspired to a similar season. Now what?

"We approach the rest of the season like we're still in the race," Moskowitz said. "Nobody wants to lose games and now that we've had a pretty bad stretch we don't want to lose any more games. Losing is not fun. Nobody wants to get used to losing."