If riding a three game losing streak was not bad enough, the men's soccer team is now up against its best competition of the year. And Princeton is still without its best player, senior goalie Jason White.
Still early in the season, the Tigers (1-4-2 overall, 0-1 Ivy) have not yet knocked themselves out of Ivy contention, but a loss this weekend to the Lions (5-2, 0-0) would only deepen the Tigers' hole.
Tailspin
Since Princeton's exciting 1-0 double overtime win against La Salle on Sept. 22, the team has dropped three in a row, including the Ivy League opener to Dartmouth, a team Princeton expected to beat.
In the Tigers' defense they controlled almost every facet of the game in their three losses — everything but the score. All three losses were by one goal.
"Inexperience has been our issue since the beginning of the season, and in each of these losses, I can look to one point where it was inexperience that lost us the game," head coach Jim Barlow '91 said.
With a fairly young team taking the field for Princeton, Bar-low has put the pressure on his upperclassmen to carry the team through these tight games.
The experienced players have been good, but they have not been able to provide the spark to win in overtime.
And overtime is one thing that Princeton should feel comfortable with by now, with five of the Tigers' seven games being decided in extra time.
Still with many issues lingering over the team, Columbia will not be a good opponent during this character-building period. Already playing at a mid-season level, Columbia has scored more goals in its first seven games than it did in all 15 matches last year. Columbia is even tougher at home. 3-0 in Manhattan, the Lions have outscored their opponents 12-1 at home.
Saturday will be Columbia's first Ivy League match, and with 20 players returning from last year's team, the Lions are focused on this rivalry. Adding to the pressure, it is also the Lions' Homecoming, which should add to their home-field advantage.
In what could either be advantageous or problematic for the Tigers, the two teams play with very similar styles.
Columbia is fast and aggressive, and it wants to score a lot of goals. While the 2002 Princeton team has already gained a reputation for its aggressive play, the Lions are likely to out-shoot the Tigers on Saturday.
On the other hand, facing another team with a similar aggressive nature might be just what the Tigers need to awaken their goal scorers.
The past three losses have been very disappointing for the Tigers, because all three games were in their grips. Costly mistakes and fluke goals have put the Tigers on the unfortunate route of a losing streak, however.
"There is no magic solution for us to improve. We just keep working to improve the little details. Whether it is moving the ball or staying compact, we are making too many mistakes, and that is why we have lost. We have a good team, and with a few breaks, we could have won those three games," Barlow said.
While the defense has been suspect these past few days, the absence of one player just might be the real difference. When White left the Dartmouth game because of injury, the Tigers' luck changed, and nothing seems to have gone right since then.
Just like family
His younger brother, sophomore Erik White, moved into the goal and has played well, but Erik does not have the experience or as sharp as skills as his brother. Jason White already has the Princeton career and single season shutout record, and a shutout against Columbia is exactly what the Tigers need to get back on a winning track.
Jason White has not yet fully recovered from his hip injury, and he is day-to-day for tomorrow's game. Thinking about shuffling around his lineup, Barlow still has not decided on Saturday's starters at any position.
"We really need all of our older guys to step up and play well. We have been battling all season, and this game will be no different. For us to get back to last year's level, we really need for [senior defender Bob] Nye and [junior midfielder] Marty Shaw to have good games," Barlow said.
It is only the second Ivy game of the season, so Princeton has time to make up position in the race.
But with the limited league schedule, the Tigers cannot afford to drop too many more games, especially with Brown still lurking ahead in the season.
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