Men's soccer battles to scoreless draw against St. John's

In search of its first win of the regular season, the men’s soccer team (0-1-1) battled to a scoreless draw with St. John’s University (0-3-2) on Wednesday night at Roberts Stadium. The Tigers were in search of redemption after letting a late two-goal advantage slip away in a 3-2 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson University in last week’s season opener.

Nonetheless, the 110-minute battle carried a number of positive factors for Princeton, including a result that marked the end of the team’s three-game losing streak to the Red Storm. From an offensive standpoint, St. John’s held a 9-4 advantage on the shots-on-goal differential, but the Tigers maintained a 13-11 advantage on total shots on goal. The first half of play saw the Tigers with the majority of strong scoring looks. Princeton held a 3-1 advantage in corner kick opportunities and outshot St. John’s 5-3 through the first 45 minutes. However, the Tigers struggled to put the ball on target, as goalkeeper Jordan Stagmiller only had to make two saves during the first half. The Tigers’ offensive struggle deepened during the second half, as Stagmiller did not have to make a single save between the 45th and 90th minute of regulation.

The story of the match came from the Tigers’ defensive end, particularly from junior goalkeeper Ben Hummel. The California native made a career-high seven saves, which included a terrific save in the second half, when a shot from defender Gabriel Camara was turned away by Hummel’s outstretched hands. Hummel’s five saves during regulation kept the Tigers in contention as the match headed to overtime.

St. John’s dominated the attack to start the first overtime period, as three Red Storm shots came within the first five minutes of extra time. Hummel continued to keep Princeton alive, as he had three saves during the first 10-minute overtime period. The Tigers saw an offensive spark in the 98th minute, as senior forward Cameron Porter’s header was saved by Stagmiller. Junior midfielder Brendan McSherry missed wide of the net to end the first overtime period.

The second overtime period saw Porter continue to hound Stagmiller, as another header went wide of the net, and a shot in the 107th minute forced Stagmiller to make his fourth and final save of the match. Hummel tallied his seventh save during the final 10-minute session, which ultimately led the two teams to draw for the first time since Oct. 14, 2009. While still in search of their first win of the season, the Tigers were generally pleased with Wednesday’s result.

“It was a pretty even game, back and forth,” junior forward Nico Hurtado said. “We didn’t have that many shots on target, but we still felt like we created a lot of chances. Our defense was very solid. Wished we had gotten the win, but not a bad result considering it’s only our second game. And [St. John’s] has had more games than us since the Ivy League schools start a week later.”

“The game was another step forward for the team, especially for the defense,” Porter said. “There were solid performances all along the back line, with the standout being our keeper Ben Hummel. As we prepare for Seton Hall on Sunday, it will be important for us to focus on getting it right in the final third. That being said, I think we all have faith the goals will come as we continue to reach full game fitness.”

The Tigers next suit up Sunday afternoon, when they travel to South Orange to take on in-state rival Seton Hall University. Kickoff is set for 1 pm.