Men's Soccer: Panthers win on overtime penalty kick

After rallying to score a goal in the second half, Princeton (2-7-1 overall, 0-0-1 Ivy League) was called for fouling an attacking Panther in the box. Adelphi (6-4) scored on the ensuing penalty kick when midfielder Patrick Figueiredo converted on the play, ending the game in anticlimactic fashion.

The Tigers played very well, but their efforts didn’t translate to the one stat that matters in the box score. Princeton easily dominated the shot opportunities, taking 18 to Adelphi’s 10. Nine of the Tigers’ shots were on goal, keeping Panthers goaltender Thorne Holder on his toes. Holder, however, proved up to the challenge, recording eight saves.

“We had some pretty good chances last night — some good buildup and good play,” junior midfielder and captain Devin Muntz said. “We should have done a better job of finishing our chances, though. We were moving the ball really well but just couldn’t seem to find the back of the net.”

Princeton has clearly progressed over the course of the season, but that improvement hasn’t been reflected in its record.

“We feel that it’s coming, we feel that we can get it done,” Muntz said.

The game was fairly even for the first 15 minutes, as the Tigers and the Panthers traded shots and possession. Eighteen minutes into the game, midfielder Kemalie Preston catalyzed the Panthers’ first score, cutting through the Tiger defense before sending the ball to Figueiredo.

Figueiredo converted on the opportunity, punching the ball past sophomore goalkeeper Sean Lynch.

The Adelphi goal was exactly the wakeup call that Princeton’s offense needed. The Tigers applied constant pressure to the Panthers’ half of the field, making it their temporary residence for the remaining 30 minutes of the half. That attacking style kept Adelphi back on its heels, though Princeton returned to the locker room facing a 1-0 deficit.

The break didn’t do the Tigers any harm, however, as they came back out with guns blazing in the second half. Princeton’s breakthrough finally came after taking nine shots in the first half and another four in the first 15 minutes of the second half.

Freshman midfielder Antoine Hoppenot ended the Tigers’ drought. Hoppenot received a pass from sophomore defender Tim Sedwitz just outside the 18-yard box and powered the ball into the back of the net, knotting things at one in the 64th minute.

Princeton refused to let up after the goal, continuing to determinedly press Adelphi’s defense. Neither team, however, could prevent the impending overtime period.

Just three minutes into overtime, the Panthers were awarded the fateful penalty kick, leaving the Tigers once again on the outside looking in. For Princeton, it was yet another painful loss.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

“It seems like that’s happened to us a little bit too much,” Muntz said. “They were a good team, and they definitely had their chances, but for a good stretch of the game there — for the last 30 minutes of the first half and the first 30 minutes of the second half — we were really playing well.”

The Tigers were fresh off a double-overtime tie in their league opener against Dartmouth, last year’s Ivy League champion. All is not lost for Princeton, but at some point, the team must translate its plentiful shots into a few more goals.

“It’s frustrating. We’re definitely playing as well as, if not better than, the teams we’ve been playing against,” Muntz said. “You can tell in our practices that we have chips on our shoulders. We feel that it’s coming, though, and we feel that we can get it done.”

The Tigers have come tantalizingly close to victory time and again this year. Another bitter loss should keep Princeton hungry when it hosts Brown this weekend in its second Ivy League contest.

“We could use a little bit of a roll here,” Muntz said. “Once we get a couple of goals, get a win, it’ll keep coming. We’re getting closer.”