There is often the urge, especially in the world of sports, to wonder what might have been. For the men's soccer team, what might have been was a win over No. 10 Brown last weekend that could have stretched Princeton's unbeaten streak to four games and jumpstarted its Ivy League season.
Instead, the Bears came from behind for a stunning 2-1 overtime win, and the Tigers (2-7-1 overall, 0-1-0 Ivy League) will find themselves in a familiar position when they take the field against Columbia (2-6-1, 0-1-0) at home tomorrow: playing catchup.
In a league as competitive as the Ancient Eight — which, heading into this weekend, boasts three teams with two or fewer losses overall — Princeton already finds itself in a hole. Still, the Tigers by no means consider the deficit insurmountable.
"It would have been awesome to get that win," senior forward and co-captain Kyle McHugh said of the loss at Brown. "The Ivy League has so much parity that if we win the rest of our games — which I know we can — we can take the whole thing."
One thing the Tigers will have to improve on is converting cohesive play into wins. The former has been in abundance this season, while the latter have been few and far between.
The Brown loss provided the latest evidence of this affliction, as the Tigers collapsed after holding a 1-0 lead with four minutes remaining in the game. Brown tied the game when Chris Brown scored an unassisted goal in the 86th minute, forcing overtime. Then, in overtime, Nick Elenz-Martin put the Tigers away when he scored in the 95th minute.
"It was great to go up 1-0, especially on the road," McHugh said. "But once we score, we can't back down. We just didn't keep our intensity."
Fortunately for the Tigers, they have become quite adept at putting tough losses behind them and will face a less accomplished Columbia team Saturday.
Despite a solid defense, Columbia has been plagued by offensive woes, scoring only six goals in its nine games this season. The Lions' attack is led by forwards Hayden Johns and Tom Smith, each of whom have registered two goals this season.
"[Columbia] doesn't have anyone who really makes us change our plan," McHugh said. "But they compete very well as a team. It's going to take a great effort mentally and physically to come out on top."
In the net, the Lions have received a strong effort from goalie Michael Testra, who has spent all but 11 minutes in front of Columbia's goal this season. So far, Testra, despite his underwhelming record, has diverted 72 percent of opponents' 72 shots.
To be successful, the Tigers will need McHugh and the rest of the attack to continue and improve on their strong play.
"We can't settle for a one-goal advantage," McHugh said. "We're good enough to go up 2-0, 3-0. Being at home, it's kind of a big weekend, and it's part of our job to keep the pressure on, even if we have the lead."
While Princeton's one Ivy League loss by no means eliminates it from title contention, another defeat could jeopardize the team's chances. Like the Tigers, the Lions are coming off a loss to open league play and will be fighting for a win in order to stay in the race.
"We're coming off a hard loss," McHugh said. "The most important thing for us is going to be a lot of mental preparation. It's going to be close no matter what. We need to go out with the attitude that it's a must win. As long as we can take care of our chances, we should come out on top."
McHugh knows his team can't handle too many more "might-have-beens."
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