Deep men's soccer eyes trip to NCAA tournament

Five of the players on the men's soccer team (1-0) remember when Princeton won the Ivy League title and went to the NCAA tournament in 2001. And all five want to live that dream again.

In order to do so, head coach Jim Barlow '91 is working tirelessly to recreate the Tiger lineup, shuffling a strong mix of freshmen with his veteran players and two valuable additions who are returning from injuries.

Princeton graduated four players last May, and will need to replace them if it hopes to improve upon its fourth-place finish in the Ivy League last season.

The hardest hits for the Tigers are undoubtedly on defense. The leadership of goalie Jason Bell '04 and center back Jeff Hare '04 will be sorely missed when going against offensive powerhouses such as Brown and Yale.

"Off the field, [Bell] was a big loss," senior goalie Erik White said. "He was a good leader. He kept the guys into it. In that aspect, he will be missed greatly."

Stepping up to fill the leadership role Bell provided is a veteran group of keepers. White has been the starting keeper for two years, after backing up his brother Jason White '03 during his freshman season. Last season, Erik White started 12 of last season's games and played in 14, recording a 1.41 goals against average and a .697 save percentage.

Junior goalie Bobby Guelich will compete for time with White this season. Injured for most of the 2002 season, Guelich stepped up when White hurt his knee last spring, starting in two games and playing in four while recording a 2.22 goals against average and a .700 save percentage.

The Tigers will also call on several experienced players to fill the hole left by Hare, a four year-starter and All-Ivy selection.

This includes sophomore Jame Wunsch, who has started at midfielder throughout his career and will try his hand at defense this season. This transition has opened the way for a formidable group of freshmen and several returning players in the midfield.

Senior captain Teddy van Beuren will be the major leading force in the midfield this season, after sitting out last season due to a foot injury. His enthusiasm and work ethic will provide the materials needed to inspire Princeton to do great things this season.

The loss of experienced players like Gianfranco Tripicchio '04 and Marty Shaw '04, will be offset by the returns of senior forward Ryan Rich and junior midfielder Ben Young on the wings. Each contributes speed and skill to his position .

Up front for Princeton will be junior forwards Adrian Melville and Darren Spicer. Spicer was Princeton's second-highest scorer in his freshman season and leading scorer last season, when the Tigers sometimes had trouble converting their shots. Last Friday, Spicer scored two goals — including the game-winner — in the Tigers' 3-2 win against Loyola.

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Junior forward Adrian Melville will be looked to as the Tigers' other scoring threat. After leading the team in scoring his first two years, he took last season off and returns to help Princeton's offense this season. In the Tigers' opener last Friday, he scored unassisted on a breakaway to help carry the team over Loyola.

"We didn't have too many goals last season," White said. "It was nice to get three goals in the first game. Hopefully we'll keep doing it."