Tigers go West for first time

They'll be on the run, playing in the sun, looking out for (win) number one.

California, here we come.

The winless men's soccer team takes its show to the Golden State this weekend for the Nike Invitational, hosted by Stanford. The Tigers (0-4-0 overall) will play the host Cardinal (1-2-2) Friday evening, before concluding the weekend against No. 24 California (2-2-1) on Sunday.

The trip to the West Coast will be the first in over a century of Princeton men's soccer. The team only has two players from California — freshmen Brandon Busch and Tim Sedwitz — but both are from San Diego.

Princeton is coming off a heartbreaking loss at Seton Hall in which it came back from a 3-1 deficit only to fall on a 60-yard strike in the 84th minute. Despite the loss, the 4-3 final score represented the first significant offensive output for the Tigers, whose only goal in three previous games was an own goal by Loyola.

Busch tallied a goal and an assist against Seton Hall, while senior forwards Kyle McHugh and Dan Cummins each tallied goals.

Busch has appeared as a substitute in all four of Princeton's games, but his pace, on-the-ball ability and recent results make his case for the starting lineup.

Junior goalkeeper Joe Walter and the Tiger defense, meanwhile, are looking to rebound after their recent rough outing. Before this season Princeton had not conceded four goals in one game since a 4-2 loss at Yale to close the 2004 season.

Stanford has begun the season with a pair of impressive results. Its lone win was over Princeton's Ivy rival Penn, but it earned draws against No. 20 Santa Barbara — ranked No. 1 at the time of the game — and against No. 8 Santa Clara.

Stanford's defense is twice as stingy as Princeton's, having allowed only 1.07 goals per game to the Tigers' 2.25. Goalkeeper Andrew Kartunen has grabbed five saves per game for the Cardinal.

Stanford's offense, however, has only a slight edge over Princeton's, having peppered opponents with 15 shots per game, barely more than Princeton.

The Cardinal's top scorer is its lead defender, senior Scott Bolkan. One of the nation's top defenders, Bolkan has tallied three goals in Stanford's five games. Forward Bobby Warshaw is the next top scorer, with two goals and one assist.

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California ended a two-game losing streak with a recent tie against Santa Clara. The Golden Bears were ranked No. 11 in the preseason poll and peaked at No. 7 before suffering losses to Wisconsin and San Francisco. California faces Davidson in its first game of the invitational.

The Golden Bears have made the NCAA tournament for six consecutive years, including an appearance in the Sweet 16 a year ago.

California's unquestionable star this season has been goalkeeper Stefan Frei. Anchoring a defense that has only allowed three goals in five games, Frei has made 30 saves for an astounding .909 save percentage en route to three clean sheets. Walter, by comparison, has a .679 save percentage.

The Golden Bear offense has not been as stellar as its defense, scoring only four goals in five games and having been shut out twice. Each of the goals has been scored by a different player, while five players have recorded assists. Only midfielder Servando Carrasco has tallied one of each.

Despite having found a scoring touch against Seton Hall, the Tigers face two tough tests against experienced foes. Luckily for Princeton, though, it has three games at home waiting before it dives into its Ivy season.

Until then, California, here they come.