M. soccer beats Wofford, 4-1, after loss to Furman

For the men's soccer team, the success of any road trip — particularly last weekend's jaunt to Wofford, S.C. for the Wofford/adidas Invitational — might not be measured in sheer wins and losses as much as in self-education.

While the Tigers returned to campus with a weekend split, the things they learned may prove important when it comes time to open the Ivy League schedule this coming Saturday against Dartmouth.

To be sure, the team was quite disappointed following a 2-1 loss on Friday afternoon to the eventual champion, Furman. But in beating host Wofford, 4-1, on Sunday behind a hat trick by junior forward Darren Spicer, the Tigers learned they still have plenty of game and that they can respond well to adversity.

The Tigers (4-2-1) went into the weekend hoping to extend a three-game unbeaten streak — which included a tie against No. 18 South Carolina — but ran into a tough Furman team that stretched them out and allowed only five shots on goal in the match.

"Friday was a tough game," head coach Jim Barlow '91 said. "Furman was very athletic. They never let us get into a good rhythm."

Despite their offensive struggles, the Tigers remained in the Furman game early on thanks to solid defensive play from sophomore midfielder Jame Wunsch, who was named the tournament's defensive MVP, and freshman defenseman Matt Kontos. In the second half, with the game still scoreless, the Paladins (3-3-1) finally broke through with a goal from Richard Jata late in the 57th minute.

Rally time

As they showed in the South Carolina match nine days ago, however — twice rallying from a goal down to earn the tie — the Tigers have a knack for coming from behind. But this time it was not to be. After Wunsch came through with a clutch goal in the 70th minute, Princeton allowed Furman's Dominic Cianciarulo to score less than four minutes later, giving the Paladins the lead for good.

Heading into Sunday's match against the Wofford Terriers, the Tigers recognized the importance of this game in regaining their momentum.

For this, the team turned to Spicer, who leads the team with seven goals on the season.

The junior has also been frequently spotlighted by opposing defenses, leading to a kind of feast-or-famine season in which he has had either multiple goals in a game or none at all.

On this day, Spicer delivered early and often, giving the Tigers the lead at 11 minutes, 31 seconds of the first half, scoring off a pass from junior forward Adrian Melville. When Wunsch added his second goal in as many games just nine minutes later, Princeton had its first two-goal lead of the tournament.

When the Terriers (2-7) rallied behind a Brendan Tolleson goal in the 26th minute, it looked as though the Tigers might be letting another opportunity sneak away. But the defense tightened up, and after Spicer added two more goals in the 50th and 61st minutes, the game was effectively iced.

"Everyone was pretty disappointed [after Friday]," Spicer said. "It was a team that we could have beat if we played well. But I thought we responded well by beating Wofford."