Winning season at stake in Hanover

The men's soccer team (5-9-2 overall, 3-3 Ivy League) opened its 2007 season with six straight losses, but since that stretch ended, the team has lost only three times in 10 games. Tomorrow, Princeton will wrap up its improbable season with a trip to Dartmouth (10-4-2, 4-1-1), where a win against the Big Green would give the Tigers their first four-win Ivy League season since 2001 and — perhaps more importantly — give a stellar group of seniors one last victory.

Coming off a demoralizing 2-0 loss to Yale on Sunday in which Princeton dominated play against the Bulldogs but was unable to score, the Tigers will need to put last weekend's frustrations behind them heading into tomorrow's matchup.

"In terms of getting ready for Dartmouth, our team needs to push aside any lingering disappointment about the result [against Yale], while at the same time learning from the mistakes and inabilities that led to that result," senior defenseman David Metcalf said.

Learning from those mistakes means finding a way to finish offensively, which Princeton failed to do against Yale. It will also entail cutting down on defensive lapses, which led to the Bulldogs' game-winning goal last weekend.

Dartmouth is currently in second place in the Ivy League, having lost only to first-place Brown. Thanks to stellar play from goalie Sean Milligan, the Big Green has also given up the fewest goals in conference play — just three in six games. The Dartmouth offense, however, has struggled, and for the Tigers to be successful, they will need to play to that weakness by shutting down the Big Green forwards and converting chances on offense when they appear.

"Dartmouth is a good team with an individual character," Metcalf said. "But the preparation process for playing a team like Dartmouth doesn't deviate too much from what we normally do to get ready for a tough game."

The Tigers are led by senior co-captains Kyle McHugh and Matt Kontos, both of whom will be playing in their final games as Tigers. McHugh, a forward, has started all 16 games this season and leads the team with seven goals. Kontos, on the other hand, anchors a stingy Princeton defense that has recorded four shutouts this year.

A Princeton win this weekend and a Harvard loss would give the Tigers a third-place Ivy League finish, which seemed highly unlikely a few months ago. A win would also give the Tigers their most successful conference season in six years.

But even given the prospect of finishing 4-3 in the Ivy League, the players know that they could have accomplished more.

"A four-win Ivy League season means a winning record, but I think everyone on our team will agree that this program is far too talented and committed to remain complacent with just a winning record," Metcalf said. "At this point, winning our fourth [league game] is very important to me, but it won't completely offset the disappointment of not winning the Ivy League title."

Unfortunately for this year's eight seniors, they will not be around to see that happen. But as the second half of this season showed, the building blocks are in place. Six of the team's top eight scorers are freshmen or sophomore, and junior goaltender Joe Walter will be back for his senior season next year.

As for those players who will finish their careers tomorrow afternoon at Dartmouth, one final win is the ultimate goal. What's done is done, and while it will undoubtedly be an emotional game for some of them, Metcalf echoes the sentiments of all the Princeton seniors in maintaining a competitive approach.

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"The last time I leave the field as a competitive soccer player, I want it to be as a victor," Metcalf said. "This game for me represents one last opportunity to pour my heart out on a soccer field."