Men's Soccer: Bison come calling in NCAAs

A month ago, the men’s soccer team was on a seven-game winless streak and wallowing at the bottom of the Ivy League. Four conference wins later, the Tigers (9-5-3 overall, 4-2-1 Ivy League) are playing in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001. They will host Patriot League champion Bucknell (16-5-0) tonight in Roberts Stadium at 7 p.m.

On Monday evening, Princeton received an at-large bid to the tournament after an impressive 4-0 win over Yale during Homecoming Weekend. They have not lost in their past seven matchups, and they hope to extend that streak tonight.

For the first time in 32 years, the Ivy League will send four squads to the NCAA tournament. Harvard received an automatic bid and a No. 10 seeding, while Brown and Dartmouth also earned at-large bids.

In addition to its NCAA berth, Princeton has garnered attention by having eight athletes on this season’s All-Ivy team, more than any other school. Senior midfielder and captain Devin Muntz was recognized for the fourth time in four years for his skillful control of the midfield. Muntz — who has been named to the second team or as an honorable mention in past seasons — was one of four Tigers chosen as a first-team selection.

Additionally, junior defender Josh Walburn, sophomore forward Antoine Hoppenot and freshman defender Mark Linnville earned spots on the first team. Walburn has played a key role on defense as well as in the midfield. He led scoring for most of the season until Hoppenot’s memorable performances against Harvard and Yale.

Hoppenot currently leads the team with 10 goals and two assists. He is the only Tiger this season to have been named Ivy League Player of the Week, an honor he has received twice. Linnville, the only freshman on the All-Ivy first team, has never shown the hesitance of a rookie. He has started every game organizing the back four, and his epic throw-ins have created opportunities for the offense.

On the second team, the Tigers are represented by senior midfielder Ben Harms and junior defender Ben Burton. Junior goalkeeper Sean Lynch and freshman forward Matt Sanner round out the Princeton selections with honorable mentions.

“I think it’s nice for us to see that people notice how hard we work as a team,” Walburn said. “It’s not just one person or anything. It’s very spread out, and we work hard together. It’s nice for the team to see that — it’s almost like a team recognition.”

Against Bucknell, the Tigers will have to channel this positive energy into a win to stay alive in the tournament. Both teams are coming off galvanizing victories to end the regular season. Princeton dominated Yale 4-0 in a rainy but rowdy matchup last Friday night, while Bucknell narrowly defeated American 1-0 this past Sunday to claim the championship in the Patriot League Tournament and earn an automatic bid to the tournament.

“Bucknell is a really strong team that’s similar to a lot of teams we have played this year,” head coach Jim Barlow ’91 said. “They’re athletic and organized, and they’re on a bit of a roll, having won [the] Patriot League [title].”

The Bison have played five more games than the Tigers and boast seven more wins, but Princeton holds the advantage in other ways. Its strength of schedule ranks 14th, while Bucknell ranks 14th in national RPI.

While the Tigers posted 3-0 victories over Colgate and American and a 1-0 win over Lehigh, Bucknell struggled against the same opponents. In their first matchup with American, the Bison lost 3-1, and they were defeated by Lehigh 2-1 in double overtime. Yet Bucknell beat Colgate 2-1 and managed a recent key win over American when the results mattered most.

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Forward Conor O’Brien leads the Bison attack with an impressive 11 goals and eight assists. Forward Brendan Bergdorf — who scored the game-winner against American — has added eight goals and two assists, while seven others on the team have found the net this season. Six players earned spots on the All-Patriot League Team, including O’Brien as the Offensive Player of the Year.

“Both of their forwards are very good and dangerous and athletic,” Barlow said. “They’ve scored a lot of goals and are a handful. We’re going to need to have them accounted for, but there are also solid guys all over the team for them. It’s a real good team. Obviously a team with 16 wins like Bucknell has had a great year.”

Princeton’s offense is led by Hoppenot, Walburn and Sanner, but the defense will be instrumental for the Tigers on Thursday night. With four of the five starting defenders —including Lynch at goalie — selected All-Ivy, the key to a good offense might indeed be a solid defense.

A veteran of several high-pressure situations this season, Princeton will have to win this matchup to stay alive and face No. 2 seed Virginia on Sunday, Nov. 22.

“We’re at home, and hopefully we’ll have a great crowd like we did on Friday. I think that really energized the guys,” Barlow said. “I feel like we’ve had a lot of pressure on us the last month — any loss in the last seven games could have knocked us out of the tournament — and the guys have really responded well to that. Hopefully the fact that it’s another big game will mean that the guys are ready for it.”