Men's soccer falls 3-2 in brutally physical game

The Tigers were tied or held the lead for nearly 42 minutes in Saturday's game, but a Brown goal with three minutes, 18 seconds left on the clock sealed Princeton’s eighth loss of the season, 3-2.

Despite two goals by sophomore midfielder Brandon Busch, the Tigers (2-8-1 overall, 0-1-1 Ivy League) fell short, allowing two second-half goals by Bears midfielder Nick Elenz-Martin.

Elenz-Martin’s first came at 60:13 when the midfielder pushed a long throw-in from the far touchline into the net. On the deciding goal, Elenz-Martin managed to chip the ball in amid a tangle of bodies in front of the goal.

Brown (8-2-1, 2-0-0) held on as Princeton launched a furious — but ultimately futile — attack for the final three minutes of the game.

The game was marred by excessive contact, as the teams earned two yellow cards each and combined for 31 fouls. The play was so physical that at least three Tigers walked off the pitch with torn jerseys. Princeton, a fairly small and agile team, was far outsized by the Bears, something junior midfielder and captain Devin Muntz said he was wary of before the game. Muntz’ unease was clearly warranted, as a number of players had to seek medical attention during the game.

The match was physical from the start, with Bears defender Rhett Bernstein drawing a yellow card 30 seconds in. The card was followed swiftly by a disallowed Princeton goal less than 15 seconds later.

In the 15th minute, sophomore defender Josh Walburn ran into Brown’s goalie, Jarrett Leech, and the two exchanged heated words before the referee separated the pair.

After a number of near misses by each squad, Busch slotted in a long shot to Leech’s right, giving the Tigers a 1-0 lead with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half.

Five minutes later, Brown came close on a counterattack, but Princeton’s defenders converged quickly on the Bear forwards, and sophomore goalkeeper Sean Lynch managed to smother the ball.

Nearly as soon as the second half began, though, Brown was back in the contest.

Nineteen seconds in, a long shot by Bears forward Iain Eldredge snuck past Lynch to tie the game at one.

A sustained counter by a fired-up Tiger squad was topped when Busch was pushed over inside the 18, drawing no whistle from the referee but angry jeers from the crowd.

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One minute later, though, Busch exacted revenge when the goalkeeper tripped him in the box. The referee awarded a penalty kick, which Busch buried in the left upper-90, while Leech dove the opposite way.

For seven tense minutes, Princeton held the lead. The Bears, however, would not settle, and Elenz-Martin found the back of the net to even the score at two.

Now simply trying to make it to overtime, the Tigers stepped up the physical aspect of their game. With 8:25 left, Busch charged in, only to be knocked over. He held his head in his hands for half a minute, kicking the ground in apparent pain, but the referee did not call a foul.

The game continued with significant pushing on both sides before Elenz-Martin finished the Tigers off. Brown's victory was unsurprising based on the second-half statistics. Outshot 11-3 in the second frame, Princeton’s offense couldn’t muster enough strength to overcome the Bears.

The loss marks the seventh time this season and second time this week that the Tigers have dropped a one-goal game. Princeton, which hasn’t been victorious since late September, will look to tune up for its final five league games with a home matchup against Rutgers on Wednesday night at Myslik Field.