Men's Soccer: Team on track with win over Columbia

It had been seven games and almost a month since the men’s soccer team won its last game — a 2-1 defeat of Farleigh Dickinson back on Sept. 18. The team had followed up its perfect 4-0 start with five losses and two draws, and it was starting to wonder when it would get its season back on track.

So it came as a great relief on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Roberts Stadium that Princeton (5-5-2 overall, 1-2 Ivy League) defeated Columbia (3-6-1, 1-2) by a 3-0 margin for its first Ivy League victory of the year.

“It was a really important game for us,” head coach Jim Barlow ’91 said. “We’ve had a tough stretch, but we feel like we’ve played well through most of it with a couple of ties and a few one-goal losses and the two disappointing results at Dartmouth and Brown … This win keeps us in the hunt for the league bid in the NCAA tournament.”

Columbia came into the game with the lowest number of goals scored in the Ivy League (nine goals in nine games), yet it was the Lions who had the best of the early opportunities, with midfielder Hayden Johns shooting straight at junior goalkeeper Sean Lynch after having a one-on-one chance.

As the first half wore on, though, Princeton began to assert its attacking superiority. Senior midfielder and co-captain Devin Muntz had a 20-yard strike saved by Columbia goalkeeper Alexander Aurrichio before junior defender Josh Walburn had a low 30-yard free kick pushed around the post.

“We wanted to come into the game as if we were down by two goals,” Barlow said. “We needed to get in their end, play in their end and have urgency in the attack. We were acting with the mentality that we absolutely have to score.”

The Tigers’ aggressive mentality paid off, as they opened the scoring in the game’s 21st minute. Freshman forward Matt Sanner created confusion in the Columbia defense by beating two defenders before playing the ball down the right flank to freshman midfielder Lester Nare. Nare’s ensuing cross left Aurrichio stranded off his line, allowing senior forward Ben Harms to head the ball into an empty net for his first goal of the season.

“It was good to score the first goal for a change,” Barlow said. “The last couple of games we’ve given up the first goal in the first couple of minutes and gotten off to a bad start. It was nice to see our guys really get after it in the first 20 minutes.”

After conceding the game’s first goal, Columbia pushed forward, but as in past games this season, it was unable to create scoring opportunities. The Lions only mustered two shots in the first half and five for the entire game, while Princeton garnered seven shots in the first half and 13 for the game.

“We were trying to press them right away, to not let them sit in and get after them when we got the ball,” Harms said.

Despite Columbia’s occasional attacking efforts, Princeton dominated the second half. In particular, the Lions’ defense could not cope with the pace of sophomore midfielder Antoine Hoppenot, who took a pair of shots early in the second half but did not put either in the back of the net.

There was a brief scare for the Tigers in the 63rd minute, when Columbia’s most dangerous attacker, Francois Anderson, had a low shot across Princeton’s goal. But Lynch was there to pounce on the ball and prevent any rebounds.

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Princeton doubled its advantage in the 66th minute, after freshman defender Mark Linnville’s long throw into the box found the head of Sanner, who flicked the ball to Nare for a tap in between the Columbia keeper’s legs.

In the 87th minute, junior forward Brandon Busch was pulled down in the box from behind after beating his defender with a change in pace. After picking himself up, Busch stepped up and calmly converted the penalty past the frozen Aurrichio for his second goal of the season, giving the Tigers a 3-0 lead.

Up next, the Tigers will face Colgate (6-6-1) in its final non-conference game of the season on Tuesday night at Roberts Stadium.

“Right now, we’re only thinking about Colgate on Tuesday,” Barlow said. “Every game, league and non-league, is so important so we can position ourselves to be considered for the tournament.”

Harms, however, noted that the team did have its sights set on the its next Ivy League match, against Harvard (9-2-1, 2-0-1) on Oct. 24.

“It’s a huge game,” he said. “We’re really looking forward to it because we have a good chance to make the tournament. We’ve really got eyes on Harvard because we haven’t beaten them since I’ve been here.”