Semper Fi: Family, friends and soccer

A soccer captain. A charismatic leader. A future marine. Coming up with labels to describe senior forward Kyle McHugh is easy.

Problem is, those labels barely scratch the surface of the man who almost singlehandedly defeated Columbia last Sunday to keep Tigers' Ivy League hopes alive.

McHugh was born and raised in Baldwin, Md., just north of Baltimore. Due to its rural location, McHugh's hometown has become a source of amusement for teammates who have visited him over the last few years.

"It's kind of out in the country a little bit," he said. "When [my teammates] get there, they're like, 'Dude, this isn't Maryland, this is West Virginia.' "

Still, having lived his entire life in the same house in Baldwin, McHugh isn't fazed by his teammates' jokes. Instead, he speaks of the McHugh legacy at the McDonogh School, a legacy he began that his three younger brothers have carried on.

"The McHugh name is a little bit known around those parts," he said. "Hopefully my brothers can hold up the good side of things over there."

Indeed, McHugh's brothers play a major role in his life. McHugh rarely speaks about himself or anything that he has done outside of the Princeton community without making at least a passing reference to one or more of his brothers.

"Kyle wishes he could spend every day with his brothers," roommate and fellow men's soccer team captain Matt Kontos said. "He's incredibly devoted to his family and friends."

That devotion can be seen in McHugh's crediting his father — who helps coach high school soccer in Maryland — with getting him involved in sports, especially soccer, at a young age.

"Sports, the way I am, on and off the field, definitely comes from my dad," McHugh said. "He got all four of us to play soccer. He loves the game. He loves sports more than anything else."

After finishing his career at McDonogh with 48 goals and 55 assists, which earned him all-conference, all-county and all-state selections in both his junior and senior years, it was time for McHugh to take his career to the next level. After searching for a school that could satisfy both his soccer and academic desires, McHugh narrowed his choices down to Duke, Notre Dame and Princeton.

Despite later settling on Princeton, McHugh nearly ended up as a Golden Domer.

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"I visited Notre Dame first and went to a home [football] game against Michigan, got to be on the field before kickoff," McHugh recalled. "So I came back from that visit and I was like, 'Man — Mom, Dad, I'm gonna have to go to Notre Dame.'"

Later that year, however, McHugh visited Princeton and returned with a change of heart.

"After I [visited Princeton], the environment, the guys on the team — everything just seemed like a good fit," he said. "It's hard to explain, but it just seemed like the right place for me, and I certainly don't regret that decision."

Coaching was an important factor in McHugh's decision, which led him to give Princeton a harder look.

"The big thing for me was great coaching," McHugh said. "[Head coach] Jim [Barlow '91] here — you couldn't find a coach anywhere in the country that has a bad thing to say about him. He's a great person, great coach and always takes care of his players."

Once at Princeton, McHugh made an immediate impact on the field, starting all 17 of the Tigers' games and earning second-team All-Ivy honors. McHugh also adapted well off the field.

"The environment of athletes here just has to be one of the most genuine groups of people you can find," he said. "You go a lot of places, there are so many stories about athletes in controversies, but you don't find that here for the athletes as people."

Freshman year ended with a hiccup for McHugh, as he was asked to take the 2004-05 year off due to an academic issue.

"All kinds of thoughts were going through my mind when I found out," McHugh said. "Like, 'Does Princeton really want me here? Should I go somewhere else? What am I going to do with a year of my life?' "

In spite of his concerns, McHugh managed to make the most of his time off, traveling to Brazil and Africa and helping his dad with his business. When McHugh returned to Princeton, he came with a new perspective.

"I think a lot of people could have been thrown off by that," he said. "After the time I spent away and time I've been here since, I've realized this really is the place for me. And I'd say at least 90 percent of that has to do with the soccer team and the coaching staff. They're the people that are really Princeton to me."

For all the praise that McHugh lavishes on his teammates, they are equally supportive of him.

"To me, Kyle is one of the best friends someone could ever ask for," Kontos said. "He's a leader to everyone, whether on the field or giving advice off it."

That leadership quality is one that McHugh has developed in large part during his time at Princeton, as his goals and outlook have changed over the last few years.

"Coming in as a freshman you have that 'I just want to play, I just want to make a difference, score goals' attitude — sort of the 'me' factor," McHugh said. "After freshman year and being away the year after, I learned it was much more than that ... [My goals] have become an Ivy League championship, be a leader on the team, make a difference for the team, not for myself."

Unless he is signed to play soccer after graduating from Princeton, McHugh will join the Marines next year. Over the summer, McHugh graduated from the Marine Corps training program as the platoon commander of 50 fellow officer candidates.

"Unless I get a really good opportunity [to play soccer], I'm going to accept my commission as a second lieutenant," McHugh said. "I'm proud of [joining the Marines], and I think it's the right path for me, otherwise I wouldn't be doing it."

While McHugh's teammates respect his decision to enter the Marines, where he has a flight contract to become a pilot, they aren't above giving him a hard time about it.

"We all call him 'Commander McHugh' and are always going through cadences whenever we can," Kontos said.

In the end, though, McHugh's teammates are his biggest fans.

"His personality just draws you to him — his perspective on life is cool," Kontos said. "He appreciates everything he has, doesn't worry about the bad things and doesn't take anything for granted."