Spicer leads m. soccer against Harvard

Men's soccer finds itself in a position that has been quite unfamiliar in recent years — sitting atop the Ivy League standings, tied with Penn with a 2-0-1 league record.

The next week will determine whether Princeton (6-3-3 overall) is a true contender for the title, as it hosts Harvard (7-5-0 overall, 2-1 Ivy League) on Saturday before traveling to Ithaca a week later to take on the Big Red (1-9-0, 0-3-0).

In between the games next Wednesday, the Tigers will host St. Peter's in a non-league tuneup.

With only two league games remaining, the matches against Harvard and Cornell will be crucial if the Tigers want to come out on top of the league.

Princeton will rely first on junior forward Darren Spicer, who has had a golden boot for the Tigers this year. His nine goals lead the Ivy League, and they have come at crucial times.

Last Saturday at Columbia, Spicer scored with just over 15 minutes remaining in the game to give the Tigers a 1-0 victory, and on Oct. 10 he scored the game-winner to cap off a 3-2 comeback victory against Brown.

The Tigers will also look for the creation of scoring opportunities from senior forward Ryan Rich, who is tied for second in the league with four assists, and from junior forward Adrian Melville, who has three goals and three assists on the year.

The Tigers will also need continued strong play by their defensive unit, anchored by senior Doug Hare and junior Neil Chaudhuri. Sophomore Jame Wunsch and freshmen Matt Kontos and Robbie Morgenroth have also seen extensive action.

In the three Ivy League games, the defense has only given up two goals, both against Brown. The squad has shut down its opponents through tough, physical play and this trend will need to continue.

Finally, the Tigers will look for senior goalkeeper Erik White to dominate the box and come up with big saves when needed. White currently has five shutouts on the season which ties him for the league lead.

Against Harvard, the Tigers will have to shut down the dynamic twin duo of Anthony and Nicholas Tornaritis, who play both midfield and forward. The two brothers are second and third in goals in the league, having scored five and four ,respectively.

Last Saturday against Brown, Nicholas Tornaritis netted one with just 53 seconds remaining to give Harvard a 1-0 upset win over the Bears. He has scored three goals in his last three games.

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The Crimson also has a dangerous offensive threat in forward Matt Hoff, who has scored three goals and notched four assists, which ties him with Rich for second in the league.

The Crimson carries a three-game winning streak into Saturday's game, having beaten both Cornell and Holy Cross before its victory at Brown.

In contrast to Harvard, Cornell's season has been abysmal, and the Big Red should not present too much of a challenge to the Tigers.

Cornell comes into the game in the midst of a four-game losing streak. Last Saturday the Big Red lost to Yale, 2-1, and two weeks ago they received a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Harvard.

Still, Princeton cannot take the game for granted. Forward Nick Leonard leads Cornell with two goals, while midfielder Brian Scruton has added two assists on the year. The Big Red scoring stats may not be impressive, but Princeton has had trouble scoring at times this season, as well.

If the Tigers can emerge from Fall Break with two more Ivy wins, they would control their own destiny for the league title. A home game against Penn and a road affair with Yale are all that would then stand in the way of Princeton capturing its first Ivy championship since 1993.