Men's Soccer: Over break, team plays duo of foes

After their 2-1 double-overtime triumph over then-No. 9 Harvard, the men’s soccer team (7-5-2 overall, 2-2-0 Ivy League) is preparing for its last three games of the season.

“It was a really important win for us,” head coach Jim Barlow ’91 said. “[The players] had their back to the wall. They had to get a result, and they did. I think that has done a lot for their mentality and their belief that they can beat anybody.”

Over Fall Break, Princeton will get two chances to test its renewed vigor and confidence. The Tigers face Cornell (5-5-4, 0-2-2) at home on Halloween night, and they will challenge Penn (5-6-3, 1-2-1) in Philadelphia a week later.

Princeton, riding a three-game winning streak, has scored 24 goals this season, while only giving up 18 to its opponents. Junior midfielder Josh Walburn posted six of those goals, including three game-winners. Sophomore midfielder Antoine Hoppenot is second on the team with five goals, while freshman forward Matt Sanner and junior forward Brandon Busch have scored three apiece.

“It took us a little bit to get it back up, but we got it back up and got some good wins,” Walburn said. “We feel really good about where we are right now and how we’re playing. We can beat anyone, and we’re really confident going into these last games of the year.”

Hoppenot has been particularly hot recently, scoring both of the team’s goals against Harvard this past weekend. He was named Player of the Week by the Ivy League and goprincetontigers.com, and he earned National Team of the Week honors from both College Soccer News and Soccer America.

Princeton sits fourth in the league, behind Dartmouth, Brown and Harvard, which have one Ivy loss each. In the NCAA’s rating percentage index (RPI) rankings, however, Princeton is the top Ivy League team, ranked 10th, which is nine spots above the next Ivy League team, Harvard. While their chances for the league title are slim, the Tigers could make a strong case for an at-large spot to the NCAA tournament.

“We still think if we win the next three, we have a chance to win the league, but it depends on how Dartmouth, Brown and Harvard do,” Barlow said. “But if we don’t win the league, we feel like our strength of schedule has been so good, and our RPI is in the top 10 in the country right now — I think we’d have to be in the discussion to get an at-large bid.”

Cornell, on the other hand, is at the bottom of the league standings, and the Big Red is coming off a 1-0 loss to Brown. Its weak strength of schedule places it 110th in the RPI. Despite its mediocre statistics, it has proven a viable threat to good teams. The Big Red tied with Harvard and lost both of its league games by one goal.

Compared to the 1-15 season Cornell put together last year, this season is going remarkably well under new head coach Jaro Zawislan. The Big Red is averaging 1.38 goals per game, while its opponents have recorded a 1.46 average. Though it makes roughly the same number of shots in both halves, its second-half shots have been much more likely to be on target, as 13 of its 18 goals have come in the second half.

“Cornell has done very well this year after having a tough time last year,” Barlow said. “Every team they’ve played, they’ve given fits to … They’ve gotten so much better, so we’re expecting a real tough game.”

Forwards Matt Bouraee and Chase Aronson, with seven goals and seven assists between them, lead the Cornell attack, while midfielder Scott Caldwell has added six assists and one goal.

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Barlow also noted that the Cornell defense could pose a problem for the Tigers. “They’ve got a really good back four that’s organized and athletic.”

Compared to Cornell, Penn has a slightly better record against slightly better opponents. The Quakers tied the Big Red, 2-2, earlier in the season, and they earned their first Ivy win against Yale last weekend. While they have regularly outshot opponents, Penn has been outscored, 22-20, this fall.

The Quakers have a few key players that the Tigers will have to keep their eyes on. Christian Barreiro and Alex Takakuwa have scored six goals apiece, with Tobi Olopade contributing three goals and four assists. Forward Travis Cantrell earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors after Penn’s win over Yale.

Princeton has a great deal riding on these final weeks. With only three matches left in the season, every game counts, especially in the context of a potential at-large NCAA bid.

“Anything can happen in these last three weeks,” Barlow said. “We just try to focus on one game at a time and focus on what we can control.”