Passion for the game drives Muntz’ success

And it is not simply because his father was an All-American at Muhlenberg College, or because his brother played before him, or even because he picked up the game when he was just 3 years old.

It is because he has a passion for the game that led him to abandon basketball, baseball and tennis, all the while remaining loyal to soccer.

It was this passion that led his teammates to vote the junior midfielder team captain before he reached his final season. An honor typically reserved for a member of the senior class, captaincy is something that Muntz takes seriously.

“It really means a lot to me,” Muntz said. “Especially the fact that my teammates voted on it — it shows that they trust me.”

Though the Macungie, Pa., native was chosen over his six senior teammates, Muntz acknowledged that the older players will have a crucial leadership role for the team as the 2008 season continues.

“A bunch of them could have been captains,” he said of his senior teammates. “Everyone knows they’re still leaders — now we just have one more.”

The captain’s role is one that Muntz has been groomed for well, especially given his close relationships with Mike Jester ’08 and last year’s captain, Kyle McHugh ’08.

“They were great role models, on and off the field,” Muntz said.

Now that McHugh and Jester are gone, it is up to Muntz to provide much of the leadership for the team, in addition to his on-field responsibilities. The five-foot, six-inch midfielder was named second-team All-Ivy in his freshman year and was an All-Ivy honorable mention a year ago.

In spite of his diminutive stature, Muntz explained that his size has never been a problem for him, especially at Princeton.

“The team as a whole is pretty small,” he said. “A lot of teams go for big guys, strong guys, but the players we have work really well with our style of playing: moving the ball around a lot.”

Though opposing fans would occasionally heckle the 150-pound midfielder during his freshman season, smaller underclassmen — including sophomore midfielders Teddy Schneider and Brandon Busch — have deflected some of the attention away from Muntz.

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Still, the physicality of college soccer is something that caught Muntz off guard upon his arrival at Princeton,

“I remember my first game, I was hitting the turf an awful lot,” he said. “It’s a lot more physical than when I played during high school, but I learned that pretty quickly.”

College soccer has been in Muntz’ plans for some time. Toward the end of high school, a number of Division I schools — including Brown and Penn — tried to recruit him, but Muntz had a certain affinity for Princeton.

“After visiting, I realized I liked this campus the best,” Muntz said. “Coach [Jim] Barlow [’91] is a great coach, and academically, you can’t beat this place. … It’s hard to turn down the best.”

Upon his arrival at Old Nassau, Muntz was grateful for the instant group of friends that being a member of the team provided. Muntz’ focus, however, has remained on soccer.

Muntz entered his freshman season with a set of ambitions that has evolved over the last two years.

“A goal for myself was to compete and earn a starting spot, or at least some playing time,” Muntz said. “As the years have gone on, it’s been more a goal to be the best player on the team and be a leader.”

Most important to Muntz, however, is to lead the Tigers back to the Ivy League title that has eluded them since splitting the title with Brown in 2001.

Winning the title would go a long way toward establishing Muntz’ legacy as a member of Princeton’s soccer tradition, but the midfielder has other hopes as well.

“Obviously, I’d like to be known as the guy who led us back to the title,” Muntz said. “But I’d just want people to say that I put everything out there. … That’s a good thing to be remembered by.”

After graduation, Muntz said he hopes to continue playing soccer, at least for a time. For now, though, Muntz is just trying to enjoy the two years he has left at Princeton.

“I don’t have any regrets, but the time here is really flying by — I only have one year left after this one,” he said. “It goes by pretty quickly.”