With 12 straight wins and an undefeated run through the Ivy League, the men’s soccer team is achieving things the program has never before accomplished. Princeton (13-3-1 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) will put its streak to the test when it matters most, in the first round of the NCAA tournament, as the Tigers host University of Maryland, Baltimore County, tonight at 7 p.m. at Roberts Stadium. The Tigers’ win streak and 7-1-1 record at home has the team feeling great about its chances.
“This is the first year I have been here where every game we get into, we feel confident,” senior goalkeeper and captain Sean Lynch said. “We’re pretty confident that if we bring our best, there are not many teams that can stop us right now.”
The announcement of the Ivy League awards added to the Tigers’ growing confidence. Junior forward Antoine Hoppenot won Ivy League Player of the Year, the fourth Princetonian to do so. He finished the regular season with eight goals and five assists for a team-leading 21 points and was a unanimous selection for first-team All-Ivy League.
“I was very excited,” Hoppenot said of hearing the news. “I’m happy and it feels great.”
“Antoine is always the number one concern on our attacking side for any team we play,” sophomore midfielder Lester Nare added. “He will get something out of absolutely nothing, and I think that’s why he’s a special player.”
In a season filled with record success, Princeton garnered the most individual awards in the league, as eight players were named to All-Ivy League teams. Along with Hoppenot, senior midfielder Josh Walburn and sophomore defender Mark Linnville were also named first-team All-Ivy League. Senior defender Benjamin Burton, senior defender Teddy Schneider, sophomore forward Matt Sanner and Nare earned second-team All-Ivy League honors. Lynch received an All-Ivy League honorable mention. Walburn was also a unanimous first-team selection, and he finished just behind Hoppenot on the stats sheet with six goals and seven assists for a total of 19 points.
“I think for us the All-Ivy League was just the icing on the cake,” Nare said. “It validated our efforts.”
“As much success as we have had this season, we’re not happy with just being 7-0 and setting a couple records,” Lynch said. “We want to do well in the tournament.”
For all its regular season accolades, the success of this team will truly be measured in its match with UMBC (11-4-3), ranked No. 39 in the ratings percentage index, 16 spots behind Princeton. UMBC struggled through the first half of its season but lost just once in its last 11 games as the Retrievers reached the America East Conference championship game. There, the team qualified for an automatic spot in the NCAA tournament by beating New Hampshire on penalty kicks, 5-4. Thursday’s matchup will mark UMBC’s first playoff game since 1999.
The Retrievers boast an explosive offense based on the combined output of Levi Houapeu’s 14 goals and Andrew Bulls’ 14 assists this season. For the Tigers to advance to a second-round matchup against William & Mary, they will need to stop the pair of forwards.
“We think if we can press the ball on their end and keep these two special guys from getting the ball, they are going to have a lot of trouble,” Lynch said.
UMBC and Princeton have never faced off before, and the teams have only one overlapping opponent this year, Fairleigh Dickinson. The Tigers beat Fairleigh Dickinson 1-0 in their season opener, while UMBC lost 2-1 in late September.
Nare added that the Tigers are cautioning against being overconfident. Last year, Princeton made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2001 and hosted Bucknell in a first-round game. Nare said the Tigers were not as focused for their opponent as they should have been, and they lost 1-0. This year, Princeton is not taking anything for granted.
“Although we’ve been so successful, we have been focused on this game,” Nare said. “We are really ready to move forward and keep getting better.”
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