After struggling to close out games earlier this year, the Tigers (4-8-1 overall, 1-1-1 Ivy League) were perfectly in sync on both the offensive and defensive ends against the Lions (3-8-1, 1-2-0). Unfortunately for Columbia and the rest of the Ancient Eight, Princeton is finding its A-game at the right time.
“I think for a pretty long stretch, we had been playing pretty well — keeping possession of the ball, getting good shots — but we weren’t able to finish our opportunities,” head coach Jim Barlow ’91 said. “At the other end of the field, we were disappointed in giving up some costly goals.”
The Tigers had little to be disappointed about Saturday. Fresh off a 3-0 victory over Rutgers, its best all-around performance of the season, Princeton did not let its momentum go to waste. The result was another air-tight performance and a win crucial to the Tigers’ hopes of competing for the Ivy League title.
The offense got off to a fast start against the Lions, dominating possession in the first half. Junior midfielder and captain Devin Muntz had two shots on goal, and sophomore midfielder Teddy Schneider had one, but neither could find the back of the net.
Princeton took a whopping 10 shots, compared to only one for Columbia. At the end of the half, however, the score remained 0-0, and the Lions were no worse for the wear. The tied score did not bode well for the Tigers, as Columbia is known for its big-play ability.
“Going into Columbia, we knew they had lots of speed, so we stressed not getting caught on our end of the field,” Barlow said. “At any time, Columbia can score on you.”
On Oct. 11, the Lions stunned Penn — ranked No. 19 at the time — on the Quakers’ home field, 2-1. Earlier this season, Columbia jumped all over then-No. 6 UC-Santa Barbara, winning 3-1.
As the second half began, the Lions took the upper hand.
“We were on our heels for the first 10 minutes of the second half,” Barlow said.
The Tigers were determined not to fall victim to the sudden, potent counterattack. A good substitution helped the Orange and Black immensely, when Barlow inserted senior midfielder Jason Adams almost nine minutes into the second half. Two minutes later, Adams scored Princeton’s first goal of the match.
Adams helped possess the ball in Columbia’s third of the field, allowing the rest of the offense to set up. The Tigers tried to generate a shot opportunity, but there was a scrum in front of the net as the Lions desperately tried to clear the ball. The ball was ultimately deflected to a wide-open Adams, who smoothly slid his shot into the back of the net for his first collegiate goal.
“Jason has good feet, good vision,” Barlow said. “Jason’s good at that — he helps us keep possession on the attacking half.”
After all of its hard work, Princeton had finally caught a break. Instead of resting on their laurels, the Tigers went back out looking to land the killing blow.
Less than 10 minutes later, sophomore defender Josh Walburn did just that.
A Columbia defender was trying to push the ball forward when Walburn deftly stole the ball off his foot right outside the 18-yard box. He promptly lasered the ball past Lions goalkeeper Alex Aurrichio to the low-far post for Princeton’s insurance goal.
The Tigers ended up not needing it, as they recorded their second-consecutive shutout. After a season filled with frustration, things are finally coming together for Princeton.
“Part of it is catching a few breaks,” Barlow said. “But the game could have gone a lot differently. It’s about how much attention we pay to the little details and how we play in front of both nets.”
No longer are the Tigers failing to finish opportunities and giving up untimely goals. Rather, Princeton has been flustering its recent opponents.
The Tigers must now turn their attention to Harvard (6-3-0, 3-0-0), which sits atop the Ivy League.
“Our guys have an understanding of the importance of the Harvard game,” Barlow said. “They are the only team without a loss — if we give them that loss, then the race is wide open again.”
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