Men's soccer plays to scoreless tie with Columbia in physical battle

Fifty-four penalties, two yellow cards and one red card, and that was just what the referee saw. In its most physical game this season, the men's soccer team was unable to match its strong play from earlier in the season.

Still undefeated, the Tigers (3-0-2, 1-0-1) played to a double-overtime 0-0 tie with Columbia on Saturday evening. A very evenly played game, both teams had several opportunities to score but somehow the ball never appeared in the goal.

Princeton outshot the Lions, 32-20, but the extra shots did not change anything for Princeton, as numerous players had the chance to put the game away, but no one could do it.

Columbia played a very strong game, as they were fast and aggressive, and it showed throughout the game. Normally Princeton can outrun its opponents and eventually score a quick goal or two, but the Columbia defensemen were ready for the Princeton attack, and the Tiger goal leaders, senior forward Mike Nugent and freshman forward Adrian Melville, were unable to shake their defensemen, as each player was completely smothered the entire game.

"It was really frustrating, we could never find the back of the net. We kept losing passes and we were unable to find each other on the field tonight," Nugent said.

The Princeton and Columbia coaching staffs had varying ideas about substituting. Princeton head coach Jim Barlow made very few substitutions, while the Columbia team made substitutions throughout the game, in an effort to keep fresh legs against the fast Princeton team.

It was a game where every few minutes there was a shot, each of which seemed destined to be the game winner, but the brutality of this match halted every scoring threat going each way.

Princeton had numerous opportunities to put home the game, but never was able to close the deal.

"We did not play well. We were sloppy and we never connected on the field," Barlow said. "I am not sure why this happened, possibly the team was complacent. We were not as sharp as normal."

Prior to the game, the Tigers had a lot of momentum as they rolled through Dartmouth in their Ivy League opener, but the team was stunned by the Columbia game. It was clear that each team had different intentions for the game. When the horn blew to end the second 15-minute overtime period, the Princeton team was angry and upset, but the Columbia team jumped from their bench in excitement and congratulated each other as if they had just clinched the Ivy League championship.

"The team was not completely focused and it showed. Everyone played hard, but no one was able to make the big play," said Barlow.

The Princeton-Columbia rivalry was obvious last night, as each team took every opportunity to throw the opponent to the ground. By the last 20 minutes of regulation, the tempers from each team had reached their peak.

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After a hard tackle by sophomore midfielder Gianfranco Tripicchio with 14:24 remaining in the second half, the Columbia player jumped on top of Tripicchio and tried to kick the sophomore in the head. Several players from each team came to support their teammate, and this led to a large shoving match, with senior midfielder Lucas Moskowitz also playing a major role. The clock stopped and it took about 5 minutes for each team to be pulled apart. No players left the sideline, so that greatly decreased the penalties given out. After the mess cleared out, one Columbia player was issued a red card, and Tripicchio received a yellow card.

The red card should have been the turning point of the game, as Columbia had to finish the game with one fewer player, but the Tigers were unable to capitalize, even with their advantage.

"We should have scored once we were a man up, but it just didn't happen," said Barlow.

After the first 90 minutes ended scoreless, the Tigers went into over time, but neither team could score even with another 30 minutes of play. A major reason for the scoreless game was the goalie play. Junior goalie Jason White once again played a spectacular game, as he was flawless in protecting the Princeton net. Making 10 saves on the game, White has only allowed one goal this season.

The Tigers' next game will be on Wednesday at Maryland, and they will continue their Ivy League schedule with Harvard next Saturday in Cambridge, Mass.