Men's Soccer: Princeton off to best start since 2001

At this point last year, the men’s soccer team was 1-2 and establishing a pattern of close losses and disappointing finishes. What a difference a year makes.

The Tigers (3-0 overall) have kicked off this season with much more success. After facing the same three initial opponents as last year — Lehigh, Seton Hall and American — Princeton remains undefeated.

The Tigers, coached by Jim Barlow ’91, are returning eight starters from last year’s squad. They are led by their returning captain, senior midfielder Devin Muntz, and a crew of three other seniors: forward Ben Harms and defenders Nate Krinsky and Danny Steiner. In addition, senior Matt Care, who has already exhausted his four seasons of eligibility, is serving as an assistant coach.

Despite the returning talent, the energy on the field has seemed totally new. The last time Princeton strung together even two straight wins to start a season was in 2001, also the last year in which the Tigers won the Ivy League championship and went to the NCAA tournament. Barlow at least partly credits his team’s early success this season to the players’ excellent physical condition.

“All three games were tough against good opponents,” Barlow said. “Our guys came back to preseason very fit this year, so we were further along.”

Senior defender Danny Steiner echoed Barlow’s sentiments.

“We came in in really awesome shape,” senior defender Danny Steiner added. “We have terrific team unity this year. I think we’re really working hard, and we’re determined to win this year.”

Princeton opened its season on Sept. 4 at Lehigh, an opponent that eked out a 2-1 victory last year. This time around, the match was tight once again, but the Tigers triumphed, shutting Lehigh out 1-0. The Mountain Hawks recorded four yellow cards and a red card, while Princeton picked up only one yellow card and out-fouled Lehigh 17-14. Junior midfielder Josh Walburn scored the game’s only goal off an assist from Harms, heading the ball into the back of the net.

“The guys in the back had to do a lot of work against Lehigh,” Barlow said. “We were under a lot of pressure. We’re really proud of the progress we made with the back four.”

While the Tigers struggled last fall offensively, this year the team has concentrated on establishing a solid defense.

“I think that, basically, with most of these teams, if we shut them down, then the offense is going to score,” Steiner said. “We’re focusing a lot on defense this year because we trust the offense.”

In a 3-2 win over Seton Hall a few days later, Walburn netted the game-winner yet again. Seton Hall initially jumped out to a 1-0 lead — and outshot Princeton throughout the game — but the Tigers responded quickly and effectively as Muntz assisted sophomore midfielder Antoine Hoppenot to tie the game within three minutes. Walburn scored an unassisted goal in addition to his game-winning direct kick and capped off a five-goal stretch in the first 35 minutes in the first half. The second half proved uneventful.

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Princeton’s victory against American, arguably the toughest opponent of three Princeton has faced so far, proved to be the most impressive so far. American has been receiving votes in three national polls and at one point climbed to the 23rd spot in the Soccer America poll. Despite American’s standing, Princeton delivered a dominating second-half performance to earn a 3-0 win and its third straight victory.

“We were pretty even with them in the first half,” Steiner said. “Defense was great, and it was just a matter of time before we started scoring.”

Freshman forward Matt Sanner netted his first collegiate goal, and yet again, Hoppenot and Walburn netted one apiece.

Walburn was a valuable member of last year’s squad, but he has taken his game to another level so far this fall. As a freshman, he was a defender, but since then he has been experimenting with positions through the midfield. Walburn has already recorded four goals in three games, while he scored only three goals throughout the entire 2008 season. After the Lehigh game, he was selected as co-Ivy League Player of the Week.

“He’s fast, he’s got good feet,” Barlow said. “He’s a big strong guy. He’s been a threat, and we’re hoping that he can keep that going.”

This weekend, the Tigers are hosting the Princeton Tournament at Roberts Stadium. Princeton will face Fairleigh Dickinson in its home opener on Friday at 7:30 p.m. and Monmouth on Sunday afternoon at 2:30 p.m.

These are the Tigers’ final games before heading out west to a tournament at San Diego State. In early October, Princeton will return to the East Coast to begin the fight for the Ivy League crown against conference powerhouse Dartmouth. With half of the teams in the Ivy League still undefeated after last weekend, this fight won’t be easy for the Tigers.