Men's Soccer: Princeton looks to halt skid

It’s been eight years since the men’s soccer team won the Ivy League Championship, and senior midfielder and captain Devin Muntz said the Tigers are ready to reclaim their former glory. It starts this Saturday, as Princeton (4-3) travels to Dartmouth (5-2-1) for the Ivy League season opener.

“We’re obviously looking to win all of our games,” Muntz said. “It’s not an easy thing to do, but we want to win the Ivy League title, and that really starts this weekend. The teams that we’ve played up to this point have varied in their skill level and the way that they play, and I think they’ve prepared us very well for the Ivy League play coming up.”

After an incredible 4-0 start to the season, the Tigers are now stuck in a three-game slump. After a close loss to No. 10 Monmouth — which, at 8-0, currently holds one of the best records in Division I — and a disappointing trip out west, Princeton has lost each of its past three games by a margin of one goal.

Granted, two of Princeton’s three losses have come at the hands of ranked opponents. Dartmouth, on the other hand, has lost to unranked Loyola Marymount and Hartwick. Once ranked as high as No. 10 nationally, the Big Green dropped out of the NSCAA poll this week.

Dartmouth is coming off a victory over winless Vermont on Wednesday night. The Big Green boasts a stellar defense balanced by an active offense and averages 2.12 goals per game while holding opponents to 0.88. Its opponents don’t often score, but Dartmouth rarely even gives them an opportunity to shoot: The Big Green more than doubles its opponents’ shot attempts.

“They’re a very technical team, but they’re also very strong defensively and very organized,” freshman defender Mark Linnville said.

The Tigers will have to keep their eye on two special players to shut down the Big Green offense. Forward Craig Henderson — last season’s Ivy League Player of the Year, third team NSCAA All-American and member of the 2008 New Zealand Olympic team — has scored three goals and assisted three others so far this fall. Fellow kiwi midfielder Daniel Keat, who was out with an ACL injury in 2008, has led the offense with seven goals and three assists.

With so much at stake for both teams, the Tigers need to stay focused and motivated to bring home a win.

“I think the most important message to send to the guys is: We’ve had some good wins, we’ve had some tough losses, and we can learn from them and keep our heads up,” Muntz said. “Let’s win the Ivy League. Let’s take care of that job now.”

Linnville noted that this game will definitely test team morale.

“Every game of soccer is a mental battle,” Linville said. “This one being the first Ivy League game … it should be very tough mentally. It might come down to who is going to stay mentally ready for the whole 90 minutes rather than who is the best soccer team.”

Both teams have garnered national attention for their mental and physical toughness, but both have also squandered the opportunity to win in recent close matches. Princeton and Dartmouth are trying to nurse ailing reputations and start off the most important section of their season with a victory.

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“I think the first Ivy League game is one that we know we have to get,” Muntz said. “Obviously it’s not the end of our season no matter what happens, but we really want to jump out on them quickly, get an early lead, hold it and definitely get the win.”

Despite these recent losses, the Tigers maintain strong confidence in their ability to win.