No. 20 Hartwick comes calling for men's soccer

Sports fans love upsets. Whether it is the Patriots over the Rams, Princeton over UCLA, or anyone over the Yankees, the sports world rejoices whenever an underdog comes through and shocks a more powerful foe. This is true from the major professional sports to Little League baseball.

The men's soccer team will look to pull off its own upset special of sorts this weekend, when it hosts No. 20 Hartwick. The Hawks promise to be one of the toughest foes the Tigers will face all season, and Princeton will need to be on top of its game to compete in the match.

Hartwick (6-1) has had a very successful start to its season. The Hawks opened with a hard fought 1-0 victory at Bucknell, then competed in the Mayor's Cup XXVIII tournament at Oneonta State. With 1-0 victories over Pittsburgh and Hofstra, Hartwick won the tournament and brought the Mayor's Cup home. The next weekend, the Hawks competed in the Penn State/Nike Classic, where they defeated Ohio State in the opening round, again by a 1-0 score. The next day, they faced tournament host Penn State, and the Nittany Lions handed Hartwick its only loss of the season by a 2-1 count.

The Hawks bounced back from this defeat pretty quickly, crushing Manhattan with a six-goal offensive outburst to cruise to a 6-1 victory last Saturday, then squeaking out a 2-1 victory at home against Syracuse last Wednesday. Now, Hartwick will look to extend its winning streak to three games as it comes to Princeton's Lourie-Love Field to face the Tigers.

The Hawks are led by senior midfielder Rob Catana, the team's leading scorer in 2002 with 7 goals and 5 assists in 19 games. Catana has picked up right where he left off this season, with two goals and an assist in Hartwick's first seven games. The Hawks can also rely on goalkeeper Josh Wagenaar, who has allowed just three goals in seven games, recording four shutouts and 25 saves to post a sterling 0.46 goals against average. Catana and Wagenaar, along with the rest of the strong Hartwick squad, ensure that Princeton (2-1-1) has a huge challenge ahead on both the offensive and defensive ends of the field.

Stopping the Hawks' offense will be Princeton's primary focus. Two time All-Ivy first teamer and senior co-captain Jeff Hare will lead the defensive charge from his center back position, and junior goalkeeper Erik White will try to thwart any shots that do manage to find their way through the Tiger back lines.

The Tigers remember this potent Hartwick offense all too well — last season the Hawks pounced on the Tigers three times in the first half en route to a 3-1 win.

"The goals they scored on us were defensive lapses," White said of the tallies in last year's game. "We need to focus on not giving them gifts, making them earn whatever they get."

Princeton's defense was expected to be a strong point this season, and it has lived up to expectations. The Tigers have allowed just two goals in four games en route to two wins, a loss, and a tie, with both victories backed by solid shutout efforts from the defense. The back line's stellar efforts must be taken up a notch, however, as the Hartwick forwards are the best the Tigers have faced thus far.

"We've done a real good job this year," White said. "If you look at the stats, I haven't faced a lot of shots. We've been real solid, but Hartwick will be a good test for us."

However, the outcome of this weekend's game will likely be determined by whether Princeton can generate a consistent offensive attack. Sophomore forward Darren Spicer has led the Tiger's offense so far, with two goals in the four games, and he will look to attack the Hartwick defense with his dangerous speed and finishing ability.

Princeton will need all of its skills, plus a bit of good fortune if it hopes to come out of the weekend with a victory over the Hawks. If Princeton can get a goal or two from its offense, the Tigers should be able to rely on its lock-down defense to preserve the victory. But goals have been hard to come by lately for the Tigers, and cracking Hartwick's strong defense may prove very difficult.