This weekend's home match against perennial rival Brown was a must-win for the men's soccer team. After dropping their Ivy League opener to Yale, Princeton needed to sweep its remaining league opponents to remain in contention for the league championship, as no team has won the title with two losses since 1975. Saturday's 2-1 overtime loss to their Providence rival put the Tigers in an unenviable position heading into the second half of the season.
For all the fans that braved the cold, blustery weather it looked like they were going to have front row seats for a big upset. The Tigers scored early in the game and played gritty defense to preserve their 1-0 lead for the bulk of regulation.
With just 10 minutes left on the clock, however, Brown forward Dylan Sheehan found the ball in front of the net with Princeton's sophomore keeper Joe Walter out of position. Sheehan, who could not get control of the ball, got just enough of a boot on it to nudge the ball across the goal line. That score evened the game at one, where it remained until the end of regulation.
The game remained locked until just before the overtime break, when Brown converted on a well-executed scoring opportunity. Defender Ben Brackett crossed the ball toward the front of the net to a waiting teammate, defender Rhett Bernstein. Bernstein punched it out of the air and into the back of the net for the win. The goal extended Brown's undefeated streak to six.
The Tigers' lone goal came just five minutes, 39 seconds after the opening whistle. Junior midfielder Robbie Morgenroth rocketed a shot from the 18-yard line past the Bears' goalkeeper, David Semenza. It was Morgenroth's first career goal as a Tiger, but it would be one of only a few scoring opportunities for the Tigers.
Although the Tigers left the pitch with a loss, the game was fairly even throughout. Both teams launched eight shots, with Brown's Semenza registering two saves and Princeton's Walter saving one. Brown took eight corners to Princeton's five. The only statistical category that was truly lopsided was fouls, with Brown committing 13 to Princeton's six.
The Tigers will have their work cut out for them for the remainder of the season. The team is in the second game of a three-game series against ranked opponents. After falling to St. John's and Brown, the squad now faces sixth-ranked Seton Hall on Tuesday.
The schedule does not get much easier for the Tigers after that because the squad has yet to face Penn, the only other undefeated team in the Ivy League besides Brown.
To have any chance at a title, Princeton will need to win the remainder of its games. Even without an additional loss, the Tigers will require help from other teams' losses to take the title.
After their loss to Brown, the Tigers will actually be looking back to the 1975 Brown team for inspiration, which along with Cornell was the last team with more than one loss to win the league.
The squad's next league game will be on the road against Columbia on Saturday night.
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