Spicer's goal enough for m. soccer

Some people say the third time's the charm. For men's soccer it's more like the 10th time. Princeton remained unbeaten in Ivy League play with an important 1-0 win against Columbia (2-8-2 overall, 0-3 Ivy League) on Saturday in New York City. It is the first time the Tigers have beaten the Lions in the two teams' last 10 meetings.

Princeton is now 6-3-3 overall and 2-0-1 in the Ivy League.

The game was close throughout. The first and only goal did not come until the 75th minute, when junior forward Darren Spicer knocked one home for the Tigers.

Spicer's goal came on a nice pass from junior forward Adrian Melville, and Spicer had an open shot on net. The score was his league-leading ninth tally of the season.

Princeton held Columbia scoreless for the final 15 minutes to seal the victory.

The last time the Tigers beat the Lions was 11 years ago, with the victory coming in the NCAA Tournament. This year, Columbia is struggling with an 0-3 league record, but Princeton was careful to avoid any letdown in intensity. Although ending the 10-game losing streak was important, the players had other things on their minds.

"It's more important to be in a good position in the league than to break the Columbia streak," junior midfielder Ben Young said.

Princeton is one of three unbeaten teams in the Ivy League this year, along with Penn (2-0) and Dartmouth (1-0-1). Columbia's best scoring chance came in the first half when Jorrell Best one-timed a ball on net and senior goalkeeper Erik White was forced to knock the ball away. This was his first and only save of the day. This is despite the fact that Columbia outshot the Tigers, 9-4. The Tiger defenders were able to alter most of the Lions' shot attempts, however, and only one reached White in net.

The Tigers' scrappy and hard-nosed physical play was integral to leading them to victory.

"The game was ugly," Young said. "Once [junior defender] Marc Dubois came on in the second half it changed the game. For such a small, skinny guy he had a tremendous physical presence."

Following the team's 3-1 loss to Seton Hall on Tuesday, it was hoping to make a few changes for the contest against Columbia.

"Before the game you could see the tension in the players' faces," sophomore defender Rachman Blake said. "At first, we came out flat, but then, as all good teams do, we adjusted our play appropriately to deal with the adverse [weather] conditions, such as the bumpy, muddy field at Columbia.

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"I think our team is starving for an Ivy League Championship, since we haven't won it in [a while]."

Saturday's game against Columbia proved that the Tigers have both the mental and physical toughness to claim a league title this year.

In addition, Princeton was able to showcase its deep bench against the Lions. The reserves were able to bring a great deal of energy and physical play to the game.

"Our coach said in the halftime speech, 'This game will be decided by one play,'" Blake said. "Luckily, Melville and Spicer combined for the one play that won the game."