Tigers struggle against West Virginia and St. Johns

Despite outstanding efforts, the Princeton men’s soccer team (0-2, 0-0 Ivy) has come up just short in its first two games of the season. The squad dropped their opener to West Virginia on Sept. 3 before falling to St. John’s the followingThursday.

In their first matchup of the season against West Virginia (2-1, 0-0 MAC), the Tigers found themselves plagued by penalties while facing a formidable opponent on the road. Though the Mountaineers were ranked No. 24 in a recent Soccer America poll, Princeton went toe-to-toe with the powerful home team from the outset. Sophomore defensive midfielder Sean McSherry attempted two tries to start off the action, but the score remained 0-0 after the opening minutes. However, penalties began to make their first appearance for the Tigers: junior forward Nicholas Badalamenti picked up a yellow card in the 32ndminute, while a second yellow issued to fellow senior defenseman Mark Romanowski provided West Virginia with a valuable free kick. The Mountaineers would score off this opportunity, allowing them to head into halftime with a 1-0 advantage.

The penalties would continue to haunt Princeton as the game continued. Barely three minutes into the second half, junior midfielder Matthew Mangini was given a red card, removing him from the action and leaving the Tigers down a player. Shortly after, Badalamenti received a second yellow, resulting in his ejection and leaving Princeton with the unenviable task of attempting to erase a one-goal deficit with a two-man disadvantage.

The Tigers would hold fast on defense and prevented West Virginia from extending their lead. However, they were also outshot 14-1 over the course of the contest and failed to score for the remainder of the game, resulting in a disappointing opening loss.

Princeton would look to rebound the followingThursdayin their first home game against St. John’s (3-1-1, 0-0-0 in-conference). The Tigers played well from the start, holding their opponents scoreless throughout the first period. Additionally, the Princeton offense came alive from the opening moments, with junior midfielder Harry Heffernan finding the back of the net in the second minute off of assists from senior midfielders Vikram Pothuri and Brian Costa. This outstanding first goal of the season enabled the Tigers to head into halftime with a 1-0 lead and the game seemingly under control.

In the second period, however, a few defensive lapses from Princeton enabled the Johnnies to get back into the game. St. John’s Alistair Johnston hit the equalizer in the 66thminute of play, and freshman midfielder Benjamin Martin’s answering shot was blocked. Less thansix minutes later,St. John’s would pull ahead after a messy goal from Mauricio Rivas that followed some defensive confusion in the box. The visitors would ice the gametwelve minutes later, with a Mike Prosuk parting shot in the 84thminute making the final margin 3-1.

Despite the defeat, the Tigers played a much more even game from a statistical standpoint: they matched their opponents in shots on goal and corner kicks, with thirteen and four apiece, respectively.

Princeton will look to get back on track as they continue their homestand with upcoming matchups against Rider and Boston University. The Tigers’ first Ivy League game will be against Dartmouth onOct. 1.