After dropping heartbreaking one-goal losses to nationally ranked Farleigh Dickinson and Akron at Lourie-Love Field over the weekend, the men's soccer team could have been excused if it had entered Wednesday's non-conference matchup against Drexel (1-4-1 overall) in a bit of a funk. But from the start of the match, it was clear that the two losses had reenergized the resilient Tigers.
Princeton (2-3-0) got on the board early and withstood a flurry of second half shots to leave Philadelphia with a 2–0 shutout over a Dragons team that was undefeated at home this season. The Tigers rallied around the play of senior captain Darren Spicer, who netted both of the team's two goals.
"Coming out of a weekend with two tough losses is never an easy thing to recover from, but this was an absolute must-win game," junior midfielder Jame Wunsch said.
Spicer rose to the occasion, netting his first goal just 15 minutes into the half off an assist from senior midfielder Alex Reison.
"I made a run to the near post, and Reison played a great through ball at just the right time," Spicer said. "I just had to get a quick touch on the ball to beat the keeper."
Spicer's quick touch in the 15th minute of the first half took the pressure off the Princeton offense, which had been forced to play catchup in the Tigers' two previous matches.
"It was really good for us to get the first goal because we were in Drexel's end for the whole first half," Spicer said. "Getting that first goal takes a bit of the pressure off and opens up the game."
With the pressure decreased, the Tigers held the Dragons to just three first-half shots, none of which resulted in a score.
The senior captain's second goal, coming just two minutes into the second half, was just as valuable as the first. After senior forward Adrian Melville received a throw-in, he found Spicer in front of the net, and Spicer redirected the pass into the net for his second goal.
Guelich stellar again
The shot would prove to be one of only two the Tigers would get off in the second half. Meanwhile, the Dragons unleashed seven shots in the half through their relentless offensive pressure. But despite the shot disadvantage, Princeton was able to maintain its two-goal margin, largely due to the play of senior goalie Bobby Guelich.
Guelich continued his outstanding play in his first season as a permanent starter. Guelich was placed on last week's Ivy League Honor Roll for his one-goal performance against the Akron Zips, ranked No. 9 nationally, and on Wednesday recorded his first shutout of the year with six saves.
The Minnesota native stymied several Dragon attempts to foil his shutout, including two big second-half saves against freshman forward Mike Crosse. Guelich dove to stop Crosse's first shot and then quickly readjusted to stop an attempted rebound.
Guelich's play has earned him high praise from his teammates, leading at least one to affectionately dub him "Stretch."
"We needed Bobby to make a couple big saves in the second half yesterday when Drexel had the run of play and he really stepped it up for us," Wunsch said.
Spicer agreed that Guelich has been a crucial part of Princeton's competitive edge early in the season.
"Everyone can depend on him to make the saves, and so far he's made some huge saves to keep us in the game," Spicer said.
The game also saw one Tiger breaking into the record books.
Spicer's second goal was his third of the year and the 22nd of his career at Princeton. The goal puts him at 10th place on the Tigers' all-time goal scorers list, tied with David Hocher '93.
Struggling Panthers
Spicer hopes to continue his climb through the record books in Saturday's match-up against Adelphi (1-1-5). Princeton will be traveling to Stiles Field to take on a struggling Panther squad that has recorded just one win in seven tries.
Despite Adelphi's losing record, Princeton has no illusions about the importance of the game.
"It's going to be a tough game in a tough environment," Wunsch said. "This is another must-win game for us."
The Tigers will use the match to continue honing their skills before beginning the Ivy League portion of their schedule in two weeks. But after Wednesday's win against Drexel, Princeton is cautiously optimistic about the remainder of the season.
"Despite the two losses last weekend, we really took a step forward," Spicer said. "We are playing much better as a team now."
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