M. soccer tries to stay alive in race for Ivy title against Penn

In its final home game of the year, the men's soccer team is searching for an important victory over league rival Penn. After tying Cornell, a team that has won only one game all year and was 0-4 in the league before the tie, Princeton will try to rebound tomorrow against Penn and play a stronger game both offensively and defensively.

Currently, the Tigers (7-4-4 overall, 2-1-2 Ivy League) are in a four-way tie for second place in the Ivy League with Harvard, Yale and Brown, while Dartmouth sits atop the league with an undefeated Ivy record. Penn (6-6-2, 2-2-1) is right behind the four-way tie for second in sixth place. Penn is coming off a 4-0 loss to Brown and is also searching for a victory to move up in the standings.

The Tigers must finish the season strong to stay in the hunt for the Ivy League title. After taking on Penn, Princeton wraps up its Ivy season next weekend at Yale. To have a chance at winning the league, Princeton must claim victory in its final two games and hope for some help from Dartmouth.

"We are excited about the Penn game because we are still in the hunt for the Ivy title and because it is always a good game," head coach Jim Barlow '91 said. "Penn has a talented team, and earlier in the year they were ranked as high as No. 14 in the country."

Although Penn was once ranked nationally this season, the Quakers have clearly faltered as the year has progressed. However, no Ivy League matchup can ever be taken lightly.

"[Penn] has a good nucleus of players from the 2002 team that won the Ivy title," Barlow said. "We know, like all the Ivy games, that it will be a fast, physical match. Our players are excited and ready for a great game."

Last season the Tigers beat the Quakers in a highly contested game. "Last year [then-sophomore midfielder] Alex Reison put the team on his back and led us to victory against Penn," junior midfielder Ben Young said.

This year Princeton believes its strength, power and quickness will be too much for Penn to handle.

"This year Penn has a good team, but I don't think they have anyone that matches up with the raw power of [freshman defender] Matt Kontos," Young said.

Kontos has been a strong physical presence on the defensive line from his first college game. Front line opposing players find it hard to break through the defense to get a shot on net.

Despite Penn's recent struggles, senior forward Ryan Rich does not think the Tigers will approach the game differently than they would if the Quakers were still nationally ranked.

"In the Ivy League, the games are always close, regardless of a team's record. Penn started off strong but has struggled lately, but that should not affect how we approach the game at all," said Rich.

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Rich added, "We must win our last two Ivy games to have a shot at the league title, so we can't take any team for granted. This will be my last game at Lourie-Love, so a much-needed win would be a great way to end."