As the fans streamed onto the field as time expired Thursday night, the white jerseys fell to the field just as much in disbelief and confusion as in disappointment. In the men’s soccer team’s 2-1 loss to University of Maryland, Baltimore County, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, the Tigers displayed much the same game plan that had led them to 12 straight wins, an Ivy League championship and the first 7-0 league season in the program’s history. The Tigers played their game, and the Retrievers did little to stop them. So as time expired in the second half, ending Princeton’s playoff hopes, the players realized the harsh reality that it simply did not work out for them this time.
By all measures it was a game Princeton should have won. The Tigers entered the game at No. 23 in the ratings percentage index — 16 slots above the Retrievers — and No. 10 in a coaches’ poll on which UMBC was not included. Princeton dominated play during the game, keeping the ball on its opponents’ side of the field and creating many opportunities for its offense. The Retrievers, whose midfielders stayed back and did not attempt to press the Princeton offense, saw their drives and possessions limited mainly to counterattacks.
This has been a formula for victory for Princeton all season. Led by senior midfielder Josh Walburn, a natural defender who has brought his steadiness up to the midfield, the Princeton offense has been good all season at passing patiently, maintaining possession until they see an opening. At this point, junior forward Antoine Hoppenot has been adept at using his explosiveness and ability to outmaneuver markers not just to score goals — he has eight this season — but also to draw fouls and force opponents to kick the ball out of bounds, leading to free kicks, corner kicks and long throw-ins by sophomore defender Mark Linnville. Their 12-game winning streak had featured many goals off restarts, and the Tigers certainly set themselves up with just as many of these as they had in previous matches. With the exception of an impressive corner kick by Hoppenot that sailed straight into the side of the net in the 31st minute, Princeton failed to capitalize on the many scoring opportunities they created for themselves.
At no point in the game was this more apparent than in the last seven minutes, when the Tigers were searching desperately for the equalizer. With 6 minutes, 55 seconds remaining in the game, senior midfielder Brandon Busch was fouled just outside the box, setting up a free kick for Walburn. In a similar situation against Columbia on Oct. 16, Walburn was able to find a hole in the defense’s wall and sink the free kick, putting Princeton ahead 3-2 in a dramatic, come-from-behind victory. This time, however, his kick was blocked by the wall and sent straight back to him. He shot again, only to see it deflected once more.
“It seemed like everything we were throwing at them they were catching,” a soft-spoken Walburn said after the game.
Additionally, Princeton had planned going into the game to play special attention to UMBC’s star attacking midfielder, Levi Houapeu. While the defense was able to contain him on most of his touches, often through double coverage and successful slide tackles, the two times he broke through were what cost the Tigers their season. The second time he broke through — when he received a high and far lob, drew Lynch out and passed to forward Andrew Bulls, who had an empty net — both he and Bulls appeared to have been offside, but the referees failed to call it. This was one of many bad breaks Princeton got. “We had them pinned for most of the second half, but we didn’t get it done,” Barlow said. “We couldn’t finish up our chances and prevent against the counterattack.”
Walburn said he and his teammates were not expecting the Retrievers to be as physical as they turned out to be. Sophomore midfielder Lester Nare, who has been a key playmaker for Princeton all season, left the game with a concussion and was taken to the hospital. Senior defender Tim Sedwitz, who Barlow said had played nearly every minute of every game this season, left at halftime with an ankle injury.
With 5: 39 remaining, in what turned out to be Princeton’s last real scoring opportunity, Walburn, dribbling down the field, launched a spot-on line drive to sophomore striker Matt Sanner. Sanner headed the ball strongly toward the goal and in a play symbolic of the Tigers’ inability to convert this potential into results Thursday night, UMBC’s diving goalkeeper caught the ball and just barely managed to hold on, preventing a rebound and ending a remarkable season.
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