Men's soccer closes its season on sour note with loss to Yale

For seniors Jeff Hare, Gianfranco Tripicchio, Marty Shaw, Jason Bell and Vincent Vitale, the past four seasons of playing Ivy League soccer for Princeton have created lasting memories of triumphs, teamwork and tough wins.

Unfortunately, this Saturday's season finale against Yale was not a game any Tiger, senior or underclassman, will want to remember.

Princeton entered the weekend contest on Lourie-Love Field firmly entrenched in the spoiler's role, trying to upset Yale's chances for a tie for first in the Ivy League. The Tigers came into the game eliminated from the race for the Ivy title with a 3-2-1 league record, while Yale came in at 4-1-1, holding onto the slim hope that 5-0-1 league leader Brown would slip up in its season finale. More important for the Bulldogs, however, was to earn a win to assure a second-place Ivy finish and solidify their chances for an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

For the Tigers, a win would have left Princeton tied with Yale for second place in the final Ivy League standings. Also at stake was the Tigers' undefeated record at home in 2003 league play.

Coach Jim Barlow '91 started all five of his seniors, including Bell in goal. It was Bell's first career start, and he stepped up to provide a solid effort, including several spectacular saves.

"We thought he deserved the start because of how much he's put into this program over the last four years," Barlow said. "I thought he played well."

Bell did show some signs of rustiness. His blunder in the 58th minute left the goal wide open, but sophomore defender Marc Dubois hustled to make the save. But the first Yale goal was out of Bell's control, as it came on a perfectly placed penalty kick after a Princeton handball at nine minutes, 46 seconds in the first half.

The Bulldogs dominated Princeton in the shot count, 15-5, forcing Bell to make several tough plays in each half. And the senior keeper responded most of the time, saving one Yale bullet with his fingertips and thwarting a pair of Bulldog breakaways. But in the end Yale got the best of the Tiger defense, posting an insurance goal at 85:42 to end any real chance at a comeback.

Unfortunately for Bell, the usually stout Princeton back line was missing its anchorman, Hare. Hare has played center back for all four of his seasons at Princeton, and his success there has led to what will most likely be a third straight first-team All-Ivy selection. But for the last two games of his Princeton career, Hare lined up at forward, trying to create a solution to the Tigers' biggest need — scoring.

While playing every game but two for the Tigers as the last line of defense, Hare still somehow managed to co-lead the team in scoring with four goals and eight points. Superior in the air, the senior was rarely ever beaten to a header and was seldom out of position. He represents the biggest loss for the Tigers.

Barlow recognized the importance of the loss of his best player and fiercest leader. "From the moment he first stepped onto the field," Barlow said at game's end, "he was competing for us."

Another significant loss for the Princeton team of next season will be the other senior captain, Tripicchio. The midfielder was responsible for three of the team's five shots on goal against Yale, and has spent his four years creating scoring opportunities for his teammates.

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But next year's Tigers should be stronger nonetheless, as the rest of the starting positions were filled by players who will return for another campaign. Sophomore Darren Spicer coled the team with four goals, and freshman Kyle McHugh ended with seven points on two goals and three assists. Other young players whose significant contributions should only get better next year were sophomores Alex Reison, Neil Chaudhuri and goaltender Bobby Guelich as well as freshmen McHugh and Jame Wunsch.

Youth will turn into experience next season, and the Tigers promise to have better luck in 2004. The five seniors of 2003 can only hope their contributions will be remembered.