On Friday, the NCAA Division I Men’s Soccer Committee unveiled its mid-season top 16 rankings, in which Princeton (10–1–2 overall, 4–0–0 Ivy League) was ranked first overall based on games through Oct. 14. The Tigers see this ranking as further motivation to play well in the rest of the season.
Head Coach Jim Barlow ’91, who has led this team for nearly three decades, reflected on this milestone.
“It’s nice to know that people see it when your team’s doing well,” Barlow told The Daily Princetonian. “But that’s all it is right now. What matters is where we’re ranked and seeded at the end of the season."
Barlow said the team still has work to do and will focus on improving movement in the attack and finishing without compromising their string defense.
Throughout the season, the Tigers have placed high in other rankings. The RPI ranking, calculated based on the team’s record and the strength of opponents, has Princeton ranked first. Meanwhile, the United Soccer Coaches Poll, determined by polling coaches across the country, currently has the Tigers ranked sixth.
The defense has been the cornerstone of Princeton’s dominance. At its heart is senior defender Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch, ranked No. 28 nationally by TopDrawerSoccer. Alongside junior goalkeeper Andrew Samuels, the nation’s No. 35-ranked player, the pair have turned Princeton’s back line into one of the toughest in college soccer.
“From the beginning of the year, it’s been a goal of ours to be really hard to score on,” Whitchurch said. “It’s a group mentality … everyone who plays in the defense, no matter who it is, knows what their job is and knows what it takes to have success on the back line.”
This “group mentality” has been tested and proven in the Ivy League, where Princeton is currently undefeated. Samuels, who has become one of the country’s most consistent goalkeepers, says the team refuses to let rankings dictate their approach.
“You never want to let a ranking affect how you play,” Samuels told the ‘Prince.’ “It gives us confidence, but at the same time, it puts a target on our back. So, every game, no matter the opponent, is huge. We want to win the Ivy League and go undefeated.”
The recent NCAA Committee ranking has special significance. This Top 16 provides a preview for the seedings for the NCAA tournament, which will be officially determined on Nov. 17. Princeton’s first-place standing is especially crucial because the top four seeds in the final ranking will have the opportunity to host the quarterfinal games before the College Cup in Cary, N.C.
Barlow credits the experience and leadership behind the team’s success.
“There’s a lot of guys on the team who went through a couple of tough seasons, and they took the lessons from those seasons and figured out what it takes to be successful and made it their business to bring that to the field every day,” Barlow said to the ‘Prince.’
This experience goes beyond just the defense. Senior forward Daniel Ittycheria, ranked No. 53 nationally by TopDrawerSoccer, has led the attacking line this season, scoring in all but two games.
“It’s really just trusting my teammates in giving me the ball in the right situations, and when I’m in those situations, really just executing,” Ittycheria said.
Although the Tigers have played an exceptional season so far, they do not want to stay content and they look to keep their foot on the gas as they head into the final stretch of the season.
“It’s easy to start thinking about the NCAA tournament or who we might play there,” Whitchurch said. “But we’ve done a good job keeping our eye on the next game … Every game is a chance to prove to everyone why we’re ranked and we deserve to be there.”
This mix of humility and hunger continues to define this team. Following the Tigers’ eventful draw against Bryant on Tuesday, they will look to round out the season with three games of Ivy play against Yale, Dartmouth, and Penn. For the Tigers, each game is worth more than just another win in the win-loss column; it’s an opportunity to continue rewriting the program’s history.
“We’re a really good team, and we gotta just keep it going,” Ittycheria told the ‘Prince.’
Matthew Yi is an assistant Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
James Li is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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