Men's Soccer: Hoppenot nets 4 as offense returns to form

Behind an threatening offense and a stifling defense, the men’s soccer team won the Princeton Invitational Tournament this weekend by beating Richmond 3-1 on Friday and crushing Adelphi 3-0 on Sunday.

The Tigers (3-3-1) were boosted by star performances from both their offensive and defensive units. Junior forward Antoine Hoppenot scored two goals in each game, while senior midfielder Josh Walburn notched two assists in the first game and scored a goal in the second. Hoppenot was named to the all-tournament team.

Even with the Tigers’ high-scoring offense, their defensive performance may have been more impressive. Against Richmond (1-6-1), the defense allowed a goal in the 8th minute of the game. It then locked down, and Richmond did not take another shot on goal until the 75th. During that stretch, the offense was able to turn a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead. Three defensive players were named to the all-tournament team, including sophomore defender Mark Linnville, senior midfielder Teddy Schneider, and senior goalkeeper and captain Sean Lynch.

“From the first whistle, we were high-pressure all over the field,” sophomore midfielder Lester Nare said. “We wouldn’t let them get by passes, and we were on top of every ball.”

The Tigers controlled the pace for much of the half and had several opportunities to score, as they notched eight corner kicks and eight shots. But despite the advantage in shots, Princeton was unable to score and finished the first half still down 1-0.

In the second half, though, the floodgates opened. In the 55th minute, a series of quick passes ended with Walburn dishing into the box to a streaking Hoppenot, who put the ball in the back of the net for the equalizer.

Just 10 minutes later, Princeton scored again. A corner kick by Schneider deflected off several players and flew high into the air. Nare, senior defender Benjamin Burton and Richmond goalkeeper Brock Tomlinson all jockeyed for position as the ball fell back down. Nare and Burton combined to nick the ball to sophomore forward Matt Sanner, who headed the ball for the tie-breaking goal, putting the Tigers up 2-1.

Princeton added to its goal total in the 72th minute when a penalty kick from Walburn was blocked by Tomlinson but bounced to Hoppenot, who converted the rebound for his second goal of the day. Hoppenot now leads the team with five goals on the year, while Walburn is tied with Sanner with a team-leading two assists.

The back line, including Schneider and Linnville, stifled Richmond’s offense to just three shots on goal and 12 shots total. Lynch rounded out the defensive lockdown with two saves.

“We figured out quickly who their best players were, and we put our best defenders on them, making the game frustrating for them,” Nare explained.

Against Adelphi on Sunday, Princeton took an early lead as Walburn headed in a cross from Schneider in the 13th minute. Lynch then held on after a barrage of shots from the Panthers (5-3-0) and finished the game with six saves in the Tigers’ second shutout of the season.

The lead increased after two goals by Hoppenot, one off a cross from junior forward Manny Sardinha and another off a pass to space from Sanner.