Big Green arrive to take on struggling men's soccer

Five games into a 17-game season would seem a little early for the men's soccer team to be in do-or-die mode when it takes on Dartmouth this Saturday.

According to senior captain Bob Nye, however, "with the disappointing start we've had to our season, we've put ourselves in a must-win situation."

Saturday's game against the Big Green kicks off Princeton's 2002 Ivy League season, the most important part of any year.

Winning the Ivy League title not only guarantees the victor bragging rights among the Ancient Eight, but serves as a ticket to the NCAA Tournament. With the slow start that Princeton (1-2-2) has been having this year, that ticket may be the only way to get a foot in the door.

If the Tigers have to start with somebody, it might as well be Dartmouth, which has had a similarly languid start to its season. The Big Green are currently 0-4, and have yet to score a goal on their opposition.

But while Dartmouth has not scored any goals, it has not let many in, either. Three of its four losses have been in 1-0 contests, with one loss coming in overtime.

The only game that Dartmouth dropped by more than one goal was against No. 1 Stanford. The undefeated Cardinal was shut out for the entire first half before finally getting on the board in the 51st minute when a midfielder rifled a shot past goaltender Doug Carr from 18 yards out.

Stanford added an insurance goal right before time expired to push the final score to 2-0, but the game was one of the closest the top-ranked Cardinal has played this season.

Dartmouth will be dangerous if it can take the lessons learned from playing top teams like Stanford and nationally-ranked Fairfield University and translate them into results on the field.

For the Tigers' part, what they need to win games is clear — consistency.

"This year, we've been inconsistent and have struggled to finish teams off," head coach Jim Barlow '91 said.

"Coming off our disappointing second half against Rider and inconsistent performances in our other early games, I hope we can take some of the hard lessons we have learned and mature as a team as we enter the Ivy season."

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Nye agreed that, while the Tigers have shown flashes of brilliance, they have not sustained the high level of play that it takes to win.

"We're certainly playing well enough at times but our inability to be consistent is our main problem," Nye said.

Princeton is hoping that lining up against an Ivy League team will provide the urgency it takes to play well for 90 minutes.

Princeton and Dartmouth have a history of well-played, intense meetings. Last season, the Tigers beat the Big Green in Hanover, 3-0, en route to an Ivy title that they shared with Brown.

"Dartmouth is always a good team and we have had some exciting games with them over the past few years," Barlow said. "Two years ago we were playing well and we opened the Ivy season with them at home and they beat us, 2-0."

The Tigers are hoping that the reverse will hold true this season and that a victory over Dartmouth will serve as a springboard to a more focused, consistent second two-thirds of the season.

"It is crucial to get off to a good start in our league," Barlow said. "We know that Dartmouth will be strong, organized, and athletic, and we will need to be sharp at both ends of the field."

Princeton lost its last game Wednesday to Rider, 3-2.

After the Big Green, the Tigers play Georgetown Tuesday in Washington before meeting up with Columbia Saturday in New York City. The Lions are sitting on the cusp of the national Top 25 and will be one of the strongest challengers for the Ivy League title this year.