The men’s soccer team ended its season in the cruelest of fashions last night at Roberts Stadium, losing to University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2-1 in the first round of the NCAA tournament. No. 10 Princeton (13-4-1 overall, 7-0 Ivy League) was ultimately undone by dubious officiating and a physical, counter-attacking performance by the Retrievers (11-4-3). It is the second time in as many years that Princeton has failed to clear the first hurdle of the tournament: Last year, Princeton lost 1-0 to Bucknell at the same stage.
“As time passes, we’ll look back and feel better about this season,” head coach Jim Barlow ’91 said. “But this game hurts, and that’s what’s on my mind right now.”
Yet for opening stages of the match, at least, it seemed as if the newly crowned champions of the Ivy League would soldier on with its record 12-game winning streak. The speed of Princeton's attack initially caught the Retrievers off guard, and they were forced to make some hasty clearances in the first few minutes. After a scrappy start to the game, junior striker Antoine Hoppenot tried a spectacular volley from an acute angle at the edge of the box after seven minutes, but his strike was parried clear by the UMBC goalkeeper. Minutes later, sophomore defender Mark Linville’s signature long throw careened around the box but could not find the foot of a Tiger attacker.
In a game fraught with high emotions and robust play, the Princeton midfield and defense battled hard in the first half to prevent the Retriever midfield from receiving the ball with time or space. Indeed, the outstanding UMBC striker Levi Houapeu was initially kept at bay by the probing challenges of Linville and senior defender Benjamin Burton.
As the first half wore on, Princeton seemed to be the more likely team to score. At the 29-minute mark, a Tiger free kick sent into the box left the Retrievers' keeper flailing after the ball. Despite the ensuing chaos, the ball trickled clear for a goal kick.
And indeed, the Tigers were the first team to open scoring on the night after 32 minutes of play, albeit through a stroke of fortune. Directly off a corner kick, Hoppenot remarkably managed to curl the ball over the UMBC goalkeeper and defenders and into the back of the net. Despite the fortuitous nature of the finish, it was a goal well earned for Hoppenot, whose speed and first touch caused difficulty for the UMBC defense all evening.
Finding themselves facing elimination, the Retrievers began to push forward more eagerly in search of a goal. Their first real chance came after 35 minutes, when a dipping cross from the wing met the head of UMBC striker Milo Kapor, but his finish was well wide of net.
Eight minutes later, the Retrievers found themselves level with Princeton in uneasy circumstances. After a stoppage of play, the referee signaled for a Retriever throw-in to be taken, though he subsequently reversed his decision and called for a free kick, citing a handball on sophomore midfielder Lester Nare. The Retrievers’ low-struck free kick flashed by the outstretched arms of senior goalkeeper Sean Lynch and struck the post before falling to Houapeu, who coolly slotted home into an empty net.
By the end of the first half, the match’s physicality was clear: Senior midfielder Josh Walburn and Burton were temporarily sidelined at the end of the half for head injuries, while Nare suffered a serious concussion and senior midfidler Tim Sedwitz suffered a badly sprained ankle. Nare and Sedwitz were unable to return to the second half, and Nare was taken to the hospital.
“This was probably the most physical game we’ve seen all year,” Barlow said.
Despite these significant losses, the Tigers continued to fight on in the second half, though the tide of the match was beginning to turn in the Retrievers’ favor. After 52 minutes, UMBC striker Andrew Bulls used his muscle to hold off a Tiger defender at the penalty spot, but his powerful shot found itself in the arms of the grateful Lynch.
Still, Princeton had a clear opportunity to pull ahead in the match on 65 minutes: Following a cleared free kick, Chris Benedict sent a ball back into the box, which was met by Walburn in the air. His looping header, however, could only bounce off the top of the crossbar before finding its way to the Retrievers' keeper.
As the match wore on and both teams continued to search for a winner, the Princeton defense was beginning to look susceptible to the counter-attack. Indeed, this showed after 77 minutes, when the Retrievers grabbed the eventual winner, courtesy of Bulls. Again, the referee found himself at the center of controversy after Levi appeared to receive a long ball behind the Tiger defense in an offside position. Yet the linesman’s flag stayed down and Levi steered past the onrushing Lynch before laying off to Bulls to strike the ball home from an acute angle.
“I don’t care to comment on the offsides,” Barlow said. “We’ll take a look at the video, but we could see from the sideline how close it was.”
Princeton surged forward in the final few minutes in desperate search of an equalizer. The best chance in these closing minutes fell to Walburn on a free kick from just outside the penalty area, but his shot and rebound strike were both blocked by the Retriever wall.
“In a lot of games like this one we found a way to win,” Barlow said. “In this game, the breaks didn’t go our way, and that’s what soccer is sometimes.”
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