Burton and Busch break losing streak

A tough early schedule may now be paying off for the men’s soccer team. After losing three consecutive games — two to highly ranked teams Northwestern and Illinois-Chicago — the Tigers finally broke through on Sunday, overcoming Farleigh Dickinson, 2-1.

Princeton (2-5-0 overall) and the Knights (4-3-0) were set to head to overtime with the score knotted at one with only five minutes remaining in the second half. Sophomore defender Ben Burton made sure that wouldn’t happen.

In the 85th minute, Farleigh Dickinson turned the ball over after a yellow card. Junior midfielder and captain Devin Muntz took a free kick, sending the ball into the mass of bodies in front of the net. Burton found the ball and tapped it in, giving the Tigers the lead for the second time that afternoon.

“It was out a little a bit, but we sent our big guys forward as we always do on those,” Muntz said. “I just wanted to loft it in there and give our guys a chance to get in there and head it. In our scouting report we said their goalies were hesitant to come out, so I just wanted to get it in close.”

“Burton timed it well and flicked it in. It was a huge boost for us,” Muntz said.

Princeton scored two goals after managing nothing but goose eggs in its three previous matches. It was a solid performance by an offense that has struggled this year. Save for their three-goal performance against Seton Hall on Sept. 14, the Tigers have not scored more than one goal in a single contest.

Princeton tested Knights goalie Majdi Zaineh frequently, notching nine shots on goal. Muntz attributed the increased offensive productivity to stronger emphasis on a couple of strategies.

“We’ve definitely worked on getting the ball out wide more and really crashing the goal,” Muntz said. “We’re not sitting back and hoping the ball falls to us. We scored two that were in and around the box today.”

That hard work resulted in Princeton’s breakthrough in the 33rd minute. Burton was once again at the center of the action. After a foul was called on Farleigh Dickinson, Burton lined up to take a free kick. He launched it off to the right side of the goal, where sophomore midfielder Brandon Busch gathered it up and punched it through to the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

The Tiger defense managed to neutralize the Knights’ offense in the first half, allowing only two shots. Neither reached the back of the net, and Princeton headed into the locker room with the lead. The 1-0 margin, however, wouldn’t hold up for long.

The second half was more competitive. The Knights managed six shots, but senior goalkeeper Joe Walter stepped up to meet the challenge, making three saves.

The Knights finally broke through in the 60th minute when Princeton was called for a foul inside its own goal box. Walter failed to stop the penalty shot by forward Samson Malijani.

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Perhaps the most impressive part of the game was the way in which the Tigers responded to pressure.

“After they scored [on] that penalty kick, we really started playing hard again,” Muntz said. “It snapped us out of that funk.”

Princeton now has only one more tune-up game before the Ivy League season begins. The Tigers have played some tough competition of late, tests that have helped the team improve, Muntz said.

“When you look at those teams [Northwestern and Illinois-Chicago], they are two of the best teams you’ll ever have to face,” Muntz said. “We’re taking steps. Playing those teams is a good step for us. It helped us in this game, and I think it will help us the rest of the season, too.”