Mud on the fields, a nip in the air and a jeer in the stands. It must be time for another Princeton-Penn late-season match-up.
The men's soccer team plays its part in this weekend's athletic onslaught against the Quakers tomorrow at 11 a.m. at Penn's Rhodes Field.
The game does not have quite the amount of tension as it generally does, as both Princeton (5-7-3 overall, 2-2-1 Ivy League) and Penn (5-7-2, 1-4-0) have been mathematically eliminated from the Ivy League title race and stand only small chances of getting an at-large NCAA tournament bid.
Second place in the Ancient Eight is still up for grabs, however, and the Tigers could break out of their four-way tie for third with a win over Penn coupled with a Yale loss to Brown.
"I guess we know we won't make it to the NCAA tournament now, so I guess we are really playing for our seniors now and trying to finish second in the Ivy League," junior forward Ryan Rich said.
Rich also said that the team feels an extra spark when lining up against the Quakers.
"Even though every Ivy League game is an important one, there's an especially strong sense of rivalry with Penn," he said.
Although Penn's Ivy record is far from stellar at 1-4-0, each of the Quakers' league losses has been by only one goal. Penn fell to Columbia, 2-1, and dropped 1-0 games to Cornell, Yale and Brown.
The Quakers showed their determination in the game against the Bears, battling back in the second half after falling behind in the opening frame. Penn outshot Brown, 7-4, in the second half, and used an 11-save game by freshman goalkeeper Daniel Cepero to keep it close but could not steal the game from the league-leading Bears.
Penn also had a near miss against Maryland on Oct. 21. The Quakers got on the board first against the Terrapins, then ranked No. 2 nationally, when sophomore John Rhodes converted off a pass from junior Stephen Kroculick. Maryland evened up the score only one minute, 19 seconds into the second half, though, and the Terps took the lead in the 73rd minute. After a final Penn corner kick chance was deflected, the Quakers left College Park, Md., with a disappointing loss in a hard-fought contest.
The two teams' records also indicate that Saturday will be a close battle. Both Penn and Princeton opened their seasons by beating Lehigh, 1-0, losing by one goal to Villanova, tying Loyola and then beating Towson, 1-0.
Kroculick has been a catalyst for Penn throughout the season, and he is second on the team in scoring with four goals and one assist for nine points. Kroculick takes the most shots on the team by far, having already let the ball rip thirty times this season.
"We will have to neutralize Steve Kroculick," Rich said. "He is good around the goal and can create scoring chances."
The Quakers' David Maier also generates a lot of scoring opportunities. Maier comes into the game with three goals and five assists to lead the team with eleven points.
Led by Kroculick and Maier, Penn is an offensive-minded team that the Tigers will have to control to escape Philadelphia with the win. The Quakers have outscored their opponents this season, 21-14, while Princeton has been outscored, 25-14.
As their season comes to a close, the Tigers will look to their captains on both sides of the field.
Senior midfielder Gianfranco Tripicchio notched his first collegiate goal last weekend in a 4-1 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson. Tripicchio has also recorded two assists this season for a total of four points, and plays an important role in transition for Princeton.
Senior defender Jeff Hare anchors the Princeton defense but is also tied for the team lead in scoring with four goals. Both Hare and sophomore forward Darren Spicer have four goals on the season for eight points and both will be needed to overcome a strong Penn offense.
Junior goalie Erik White will also be key in that effort. White has a 1.41 save percentage for the season, while the Penn combination of Cepero and Matthew Haefner boast 0.67 and 1.02 save percentages, respectively.
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