Tigers fly far, fall short

For the first time in Princeton men's soccer history, the Tigers (0-6 overall) traveled to the sunny West Coast. Despite their jaunt to a cheery locale, the Tigers returned under a cloud of gloom without the win they had been seeking. For the embattled men's soccer team, however, the cloud's silver lining is the experience gained and hope for the future.

"Going out to the West Coast, we got some experience playing different teams that play different styles of soccer," freshman midfield Teddy Schneider said. "I think that was a really great experience for us because we played some of the top programs in the country, and it really prepared us for the Ivy League schedule that is coming up in the next few weeks."

Princeton faced a pair of foes at Stanford in the Nike Invitational. Friday night, the men faced their host team, and lost 3-1. Sunday afternoon provided the Tigers' first match against a nationally ranked opponent this season. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the face-off was not a triumphant one and Princeton was defeated 2-1 by No. 24 California.

The Cardinal's defense proved tough for Princeton to penetrate, as the Tigers did not get a shot off until the 33rd minute of the game. By this point, Stanford's Dan Shapiro had already given the Cardinal the edge with his successful shot from the top of the box. Shortly into the second half, Shapiro's cleats struck again, finding the back of the net and putting Stanford up 2-0.

"Stanford really came out with a lot of intensity," Schneider said. "They showed that they were really into the game right from the opening whistle. They put really high pressure on us."

The Tigers made their way onto the scoreboard with a header by Schneider, who had his first goal in collegiate play. The Tigers' newfound confidence was short-lived, however, when the Cardinal added to its lead in the 58th minute with the game's final goal.

Stanford played an aggressive game, garnering 14 fouls during regulation. Princeton, meanwhile, only committed four. The Cardinal's ferocity seemed to translate into effective offense; they attempted 16 shots on goal while the Tigers only managed five.

"We probably underestimated them a little bit," senior captain forward Kyle McHugh said. "They were probably the best team we've played [all season]. They're a very hardworking team, a very skilled team."

Six of Princeton's starters stayed on the field for the entirety of the match, including freshman goalkeeper Sean Lynch and his classmate Schneider. Lynch stepped up to play goalie this weekend after junior goalie Joe Walter was recently injured.

The freshmen have proved instrumental on the field thus far.

"We have a great freshman class," McHugh said. They might be freshmen, but they don't play like it."

The rookies shined against California, though the Tigers met with a tough loss. Five freshmen started, while one came off the bench to play more than half of the game. Once again, Princeton's only goal came from Schneider.

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Cal took a 1-0 lead with a free kick into the upper corner of the net. A little over five minutes into the second half, the Bears scored again to bolster their lead.

The Tigers responded to this deficit with Schneider's goal in the 56th minute. With the Bears leading 2-1 and four minutes remaining, freshman Brandon Busch appeared to tie the game with a goal off a corner kick. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the shot was called offsides, and the game ended in a California victory.

"I think it was an ... instance of when we were down a goal early on in the game and they took the lead, and we had to fight back to try and catch up to them," Schneider said. "We want to be the team that scores the first goal."

Despite the final score, Princeton's offense was much more persistent against Cal than it had been against the Cardinal. Princeton outshot the Bears 19 to nine.

"Even though we didn't get the results that we were looking for, we made steps in the right direction that will really help us when we start our conference schedule," Schneider said.

McHugh has confidence that these early losses won't affect the team's confidence throughout the rest of the fall.

"We're looking to win the Ivy League," McHugh said. "That's our goal for the season."

The Tigers will look for their first win of the season against Monmouth on Thursday evening in Princeton Stadium. The matchup will open a three-game streak of home games.