And it all comes down to Saturday. One game to decide the Ivy League Championship. Will it go to Harvard, Brown, or Princeton? The only bad part for the men's soccer team is that it doesn't get to play.
Ending its regular season last Saturday, the Tigers (10-2-5 overall, 5-1-1 Ivy League) are in second place, only a half game behind the Crimson. But Brown also has a stake in the Ivy League championship. Brown (6-7-1, 4-1-1) has an average overall record, but it has only lost one Ivy League game — which was to Princeton — and with a win against Harvard on Saturday, the Bears would be tied with Princeton for the Ivy League championship.
While each team cares about winning an Ivy League title, the most important part of the weekend is how this game will affect each team's bid for the NCAA tournament. The winner of the Ivy League gets an automatic tournament bid, and the rest of the league will have to rely on their overall records for a tournament bid.
With the Ivy League standings so close, there are several scenarios of what could happen in the season's final day. If Harvard beats Brown, Harvard wins the Ivy League outright and gets the automatic spot in the NCAA tournament. If Harvard ties Brown, Princeton and Harvard will share the Ivy championship, but the Crimson would get the automatic bid because it beat Princeton in their regular season matchup. If Brown prevails, Princeton will share the Ivy League championship with the Bears, but Princeton will have the Ivy League spot in the tournament because Princeton beat Brown during the regular season.
"This should be a great game on Saturday. Both teams are very evenly matched and they are both playing with a lot at stake," head coach Jim Barlow '91 said. "Brown is not likely to make the NCAA tournament because of their regular season record, but winning on Saturday and sharing the Ivy League championship might be just enough to get them in."
"Harvard definitely played a lot better against us than Brown did, but Brown has won three of the last four Ivy League championships and they are coming into this game with nothing to lose."
No matter what the outcome of Saturday's game is, Princeton should have no problem getting an NCAA bid. Except for one bad week during which the Tigers lost two games, Princeton has been dominant in almost every match.
In a ten-game unbeaten streak, Princeton outscored its opponents 22-6 and recorded six shutouts. The Tigers embarrassed the highly-ranked Seton Hall team, easily beat Brown, and then tied fourth-ranked Indiana. Princeton has risen in the national rankings and dispelled all worries about burning out after a stellar first half of the season.
"I would not exactly call the last 10 games a turnaround for our team," Barlow said. "We really only had one bad week of play, and that can be attributed to missing three of our starters, one because of a red card and the other two because of injuries. But winning the Seton Hall game definitely gave us a lot of confidence going into the heart of the Ivy League schedule.
"[Senior Mike] Nugent's game-winning goal in the second overtime against Cornell was also a crucial moment of our season. It was a game we had to win, and our senior leader won it for us."
Behind the aggressive attack of seniors Nugent and Matt Behncke, the Tigers lead the Ivy League in almost every offensive category, including goals, shots, and assists. Nugent and Behncke are first and second in goals scored as well. With 12 goals on the season, Nugent is only one behind the second and third place goal scorers combined.
The selection process for the tournament is similar to the basketball tournament, but only 48 teams will receive bids to soccer's NCAAs. This is the first year in which 48 teams will compete. Prior to this season, the tournament included only 12 teams.
The addition of six teams to the tournament makes it easier to receive an at-large position in the tournament, but not too much easier, since the NCAA has now extended the number of automatic bids given to leagues.
The last thing the Tigers wanted was to be stuck at the end of the season, waiting to see what happens, but that is their only choice.
Right now the team is practicing every day, not knowing whether there will even be any more games this year.
Read More
What’s an offseason? Jackson Green and Jay Mentink on being multi-sport athletes at Princeton
Doug SchwartzPrinceton sophomores Jackson Green and Jay Mentink embrace the challenge of playing two Division I sports while tackling Ivy League academics head-on.
Princeton sophomores Jackson Green and Jay Mentink embrace the challenge of playing two Division I sports while tackling Ivy League academics head-on.
No. 3 men’s lacrosse routs No. 14 Towson 22–12, Mackesy breaks career goals record
Hayk YengibaryanWith the win, the Tigers advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in 2022. Princeton will take on No. 5 Syracuse in Hempstead, N.Y., next weekend for a spot in the final four.
With the win, the Tigers advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the first time in 2022. Princeton will take on No. 5 Syracuse in Hempstead, N.Y., next weekend for a spot in the final four.
Senior Coulter Mackesy, Pace Billings ’24, and Sam English ’23 drafted to Premier Lacrosse League
Hayk YengibaryanThe PLL, founded in 2018 by brothers Mike and Paul Rabil, is North America’s professional lacrosse league. The league currently features eight teams that compete in a tour-based format, traveling to different cities each weekend throughout the summer season.
The PLL, founded in 2018 by brothers Mike and Paul Rabil, is North America’s professional lacrosse league. The league currently features eight teams that compete in a tour-based format, traveling to different cities each weekend throughout the summer season.