The American Eagles held off the men's soccer team's 10-man second-half charge last Friday, going on to win 2-0 on their home field in Washington, D.C.
The loss was the second for the Tigers (0-2) following a 2-1 defeat at the hands of Loyola (Md.).
American (4-2) struck first, scoring in the 33rd minute after Princeton's offense struggled throughout the first half. The Tigers pressed for the equalizer in the second half after sophomore defender Nate Krinsky was shown a red card, but the Eagles eventually put the game away.
The first scoring chance of the match came in the 11th minute, when an American shot sailed over the head of junior goalkeeper Joe Walter and off the crossbar. The rebound scored, drawing many cheers from the crowd, but the shooter was ruled offsides.
Princeton threatened little in the first half. Sophomore forward Ben Harms' speed and footwork created a few opportunities, but the Tigers only managed two shots in the half.
American's pressure paid off in the 33rd minute. An errant shot rebounded to Eagle midfielder Daniel Shannon, who volleyed the ball into the bottom left corner of the net to put his team up 1-0. Two minutes later, Walter made a sliding save to thwart a breakaway effort that threatened to double the Eagles' lead.
As American drove the ball down the left flank early in the second half, Krinsky slid in for a late challenge on the American winger, who stayed on the pitch for a minute clutching his leg. Krinsky was sent off with a red card.
Despite playing with 10 men, Princeton picked up the pace and increased its chances after halftime. In the 57th minute, Harms overshot after a penetrating run into the box.
Senior defender Dan Cummins, playing forward, had two of the Tigers' best chances in the 62nd and 63rd minutes. Cummins beat his defender and forced a good save from American goalkeeper Chris Sedlak, who quickly pounced on the rebound.
A minute later, Cummins dribbled around Sedlak but his short route to goal was blocked by two defenders. Cummins' movement up top provided several more opportunities for the visitors.
American finally put the game away in the 82nd minute. After an acrobatic save from Walter, forward Mike Worden collected the ball and fired into the exposed net for a 2-0 Eagle lead.
Walter finished the game with a career-high 11 saves, as American outshot Princeton 26-10 for the contest. Senior forward and co-captain Kyle McHugh led the Tigers with three attempts.
Head coach Jim Barlow '91 was pleased with the way his team responded after the red card, but he was disappointed that the team didn't play that way from the start.
"I think everybody was really angry at the red card and was putting more into [the game thereafter]," Barlow said. "The frustrating part is we started playing well when we only had 10 guys."
Barlow believes that if Princeton had brought the same intensity to the first half, it wouldn't have faced the same deficit.
"I think we had a hard time connecting in the first half," the head coach, now in his 12th year, said. "American was first to balls; they were sharper on their passes. Give our guys credit for responding [after the card], but they needed to bring it in the first half."
Loyola 2, Princeton 1.
Two second-half Loyola goals in the span of one minute, nine seconds, were enough to top the Tigers in their season opener on Aug. 31. The Greyhounds (4-0) held on to beat Princeton, 2-1.
Sophomore forward Max Hare's shot in the 48th minute was directed wide, but a Loyola defender headed the ball into his own goal to give Princeton the advantage.
Four minutes later, Walter made a difficult save on a close shot, but could not keep out the rebound. Forward Phil Bannister, whose shot forced Walter's initial save on the first goal, scored the game-winner just over a minute later from over 25 yards out.
Princeton was outshot, 11-10, with each team having six shots on goal apiece. Many of the problems that plagued the Tigers in their second contest were also present in their opener.
"I think in both games we've only played well in spurts," Barlow said. "We haven't had any longer stretches. There's some stuff where it looks good and others where it looks sloppy. We always have a couple of breakdowns in the back in each game."
These early season games are similar to exhibition-style "friendlies," though these games stay on the Tigers' season record. That has not stopped Barlow — who stresses the importance of the early season — from trying many different lineups.
"We're still not even settled on the lineup yet," Barlow said. "We're still looking for guys to separate themselves into the top 11."
Next up for the Tigers is Colgate this Friday at Princeton Stadium, which is being used for soccer during renovations at Lourie-Love Field.
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