Four-game win streak on the line against Columbia

The men’s soccer team will square off against Columbia at 4 p.m. this Saturday, in its first Ivy League road matchup of the season. The Tigers (6-3-2 overall, 1-1 Ivy League) have won five of their past six matches, including their last three in a row. In Princeton’s last Ivy League showdown last Saturday, the Tigers earned a 2-1 home victory over Brown (3-4-4, 1-1). Despite losing three consecutive games heading into last weekend, the Lions (4-5, 1-1) managed to earn an important victory against Ivy League opponent Penn (5-6, 1-1)last Saturday. Both teams will look to capitalize on this league momentum heading into Saturday’s showdown in New York City.

In recent years, Princeton has dominated its series with Columbia, tallying an impressive 7-1-2 record against the Lions over the past 10 seasons. The Tigers defeated Columbia in impressive form at home last season, when then-sophomore midfielder Brendan McSherry scored his first college goal in the 87th minute to break a 1-1 tie and catapult Princeton to a 2-1 victory. Although Columbia broke through in the 15th minute to claim an early lead in that matchup, the Tigers battled back. Princeton dominated the Lions, outshooting them 19-6 and tallying 10 corner kicks to Columbia’s one. Then-sophomore forward Thomas Sanner scored in the 58th minute to tie the game, and McSherry’s late goal pushed the Tigers to victory. Two years ago, the last time the clubs met at Columbia, Princeton dominated offensively and held the Lions to only one shot on goal. Still, the Tigers could not break through, and the score line ended in a 0-0 draw after 100 minutes of play.

Columbia has had trouble generating goals this season, having scored only four goals in the squad’s last six games. The Lions were shut out four times in that stretch, including a hard-fought 1-0 loss at Brown in both teams’ Ivy League opener on Oct. 4. The Tigers will look to put pressure on the Lions’ offense by scoring early and forcing Columbia to play from behind. The Lions are 1-4 this season when conceding the match’s first goal, while Princeton is 4-2 when taking an early lead.

Unlike Columbia, the Tigers have performed well offensively in recent weeks. Over the same six game stretch in which the Lions scored only four goals, Princeton has notched 12, including an impressive five-goal performance in the team’s 5-2 drubbing of Rutgers University (4-7-1, 1-3-1 Big 10) last week. However, racking up goals against Columbia’s staunch defense could prove difficult. The Lions have allowed more than two goals only once this season, and have conceded only five goals over the past five matches. Senior forward Cameron Porter, the Ivy League leader in goals, could prove an important factor for the Tigers. Porter has scored in four consecutive games, with five goals over that stretch. His mark of nine goals is also tied for fifth-best in the nation.

Saturday’s matchup with Columbia will be particularly important for the Tigers as Ivy League play continues the following weekend with a home showdown against Harvard. The Crimson (8-3, 2-0) has won eight consecutive games, including 1-0 home victories over Yale (1-8-2, 0-2) and Cornell (7-4-1, 0-2), since dropping its first three games to open the season. If Princeton hopes to climb to the top of the Ivy League standings, a win against Columbia this weekend could go a long way, particularly down the road.