Princeton returns talented lineup after runner-up year

It was on Nov. 8 of last fall that the men’s soccer team faced a must-win showdown on the road in Philadelphia. Tied for second place in the Ivy League standings with Penn, the Tigers faced rather simple but enormous stakes: win and have a chance to win the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament or lose and eliminate all odds of playing postseason soccer. A 2-1 loss in front of an away crowd of 600 decided Princeton’s fate. It would be the third straight year that the Tigers found the conference title just out of their reach.

2010 was the last time the Chinese zodiac recognized the “year of the Tiger.” And it was also in 2010 that Princeton won its last Ivy League championship, as the team marched through its schedule with a perfect 7-0-0 mark in conference play. 2022 is when the “year of the Tiger” next rolls around, but head coach Jim Barlow’s squad believes another Ivy title will come far sooner.

“We’re really excited for the Ivy League season and confident that we have a great chance to win it,” junior forward Nico Hurtado said. “We are a deeper team than last year, which I think will be key.”

Depth is certainly a strength for this Tiger lineup, as it returns a large number of veterans from last season, including all four of its 2013 first-team All-Ivy selections: senior forward Cameron Porter, junior forward Thomas Sanner, senior back Myles McGinley and junior back Josh Miller. This group of four has already shown the value of its experience, as Porter, Sanner, McGinley and Miller have combined for 18 of the Tigers’ 29 total points so far this season.

Despite a 1-2-2 record thus far, the Tigers have shown moments of brilliance on the field while also falling victim to sloppy play at the beginning of the 2014 season. After having built a 2-0 lead in its first match against Fairleigh Dickinson University, the squad allowed two second-half goals off of set pieces and then another in overtime to spoil its chance at winning the season opener. The team’s second match went into overtime as well, but ultimately the Tigers drew 0-0 against a perennially strong St. John’s squad. Last-second heroics gave Princeton its first win of the year in the midst of Lawnparties against Seton Hall, while a weak second half against No. 13 Georgetown and a slow first-half start against Boston University led to a loss and a draw, respectively. Three overtime results in the team’s first five games make one thing clear: Barlow’s team does not lack grit, which is crucial to have in the midst of Ivy League play. In addition, the team will play five straight games at home starting on Sept. 27, which will include its first two Ivy matchups.

“We start off the first two games at home against Dartmouth and Brown, which we must win since it’s always tough playing on the road in the Ivy League,” Hurtado said. “Ivy League games are always extra physical, so we have to make sure we are aggressive while still maintaining our game plan.”

“Over the coming weeks, we are heading into our longest stretch of home games,” Porter said. “The foundation of a good season in many ways starts with winning at home. The team recognizes this, and we will be pushing forward with the expectation of winning at home.”

Despite the up-and-down start to the season, the Tigers remain confident that good things lie ahead as the weather starts to cool.

“I think we are undoubtedly better than our record suggests,” senior midfielder Joe Saitta said. “We typically play a tough non-conference schedule, and this year is no different. I think a few of our overtime games could have gone either way, and we could easily have a few more wins. We are looking forward to starting the Ivy League and believe we can have a lot of success within the conference.”

“I think we are in an OK place,” Miller said. “In terms of our belief that we can win the Ivy League and any game we play, that has not wavered. Through five games though, we are really disappointed that we only have one win, and we would love to pick up two good wins going into our Dartmouth game so that we have some momentum. I think in a lot of ways, what happens in the next two games will have a huge effect on our season.”

Miller echoed Porter’s belief in the importance of the upcoming home stand as well.

“We are looking forward to a nice long home stand after our game on Wednesday, where we can get into a nice rhythm and be more confident in how we are going to play as a team,” Miller said.

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The Tigers travel to Philadelphia on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. showdown against Drexel and will host Binghamton on Saturday for a 4 p.m. matchup. The team will then have the week off before taking on Dartmouth in its Ivy opener on Oct. 4.