Around the Ivies: Men's Soccer

The school year is just getting started, but every men’s soccer team in the Ancient Eight has already seen action this fall. Here’s how the league looks as schools cut their teeth in non-conference play:

1. Brown (1-0-1) The highest-ranked Ivy team in the NSCAA Preseason top 25, No. 25 Brown went 13-3-3 in 2012, tying a school record for shutouts. Starting goalie Josh Weiner is untested, having backed up Sam Kernan-Schloss through a plethora of shutouts and the 2011 Ivy championship, but he kept Bryant scoreless in the Bears’ opening match, which they won 1-0.

2. Cornell (1-0-1) The Big Red got a lift from Conor Goepel’s double-overtime game-winning goal to earn its first win against Hartwick on Sunday. Though it won’t repeat last year’s season-opening 12-game winning streak, Cornell looks to be in decent position to repeat last year’s Ivy League title.

3. Dartmouth (1-0-1) With four players on the College Sports Madness All-Ivy Preseason First Team, the Big Green has high hopes for 2013. It is no stranger to close matches, having gone into double-overtime in both of its first two games, hanging on to tie Holy Cross and taking down Boston College in the 105th minute.

4. Princeton (0-1) The Tigers will be hard-pressed to fill the holes left by graduated stars Mark Linville and Matt Sanner, but nine starters are returning, including last year’s Ivy League Rookie of the Year, Thomas Sanner. After dropping the first game of their season, the Tigers will take on Rutgers on Friday and open Ivy League play Oct. 5 at Dartmouth.

5. Columbia (0-2) Goalie Kyle Jackson and midfielder David Najem were named to the College Sports Madness All-Ivy Preseason First Team, and the Lions will hope that those stars can boost them above last year’s 4-8-4 record.

6. Penn (2-0) The Quakers started off their season with resounding shutout victories over Stony Brook and Sacred Heart. Freshman forward Alec Neumann had two goals and an assist as Penn blew by Sacred Heart 5-0, giving the Quakers new hope after a dismal 3-13 2012 campaign.

7. Yale (1-1) After starting off the season with a loss to Fordham, the Bulldogs defeated Sacred Heart 4-1 on the strength of a three-goal night from senior Peter Jacobson.

8. Harvard (0-2) A new head coach, Pieter Leher, will try to right the Crimson ship that failed to win an Ivy game last season. Despite the help of freshman Ashi Geberkidane, who had his first collegiate goal against Davidson, Harvard is far from on the right track - Geberkidane’s is the only goal the Crimson has scored this season.