Men’s soccer wins Ivy League Championship, clinches spot in NCAA tournament

Sophomore forward Walker Gillespie scored the lone goal of the game as Princeton men’s soccer beat the Penn Quakers (7–5–3, 1–3–2) in Philadelphia to clinch the Ivy League Championship.

The Tigers now stand at 11–5 overall, 6–0 in the conference. By winning the League, Princeton claimed a spot in the upcoming NCAA tournament.

The championship is the 10th for men’s soccer and their first since 2018.

Despite the low-scoring affair against Penn, both teams had their chances throughout the match. Princeton had eight shots in the first half to Penn’s five. The teams finished with 14 and nine shots, respectively. Senior keeper Jack Roberts kept out all four of the Quakers’ shots that were on target, while Penn keeper Dane Jacomen stopped five of six.

The one that Jacomen couldn’t stop was the only one Princeton needed.

Gillespie’s goal came in the 85th minute of a game marked by its defensive intensity. A cross by junior midfielder Mateo Godoy found junior forward Daniel Diaz Bonilla, who rang the shot off the crossbar. The ball stayed in the air long enough for Gillespie to find it and head it past a diving Jacomen.

The goal was Gillespie’s fourth of the year. It put the Tigers ahead for good, and they locked down defensively for the remainder of the game.

Championship Clincher.

On To The @NCAASoccer Tourney! pic.twitter.com/FwBHi57oJQ
— Princeton Men's Soccer (@TigerMensSoccer) November 7, 2021

Princeton will be back in action this Saturday at second-place Yale (7–4–4, 4–0–2) to wrap up their season. The Tigers will find out their first-round tournament opponent on Nov. 15 during the tournament selection show.

Ben Burns is an Associate Sports Editor at the ‘Prince.’ He can be reached at bwburns@princeton.edu.