On the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 1993 men’s soccer knocked off the Hartwick College Hawks 3–0 to send the Tigers to their first ever Final Four. In the 32 years since, the Orange and Black are yet to win another NCAA Tournament game, despite eight appearances.
The Daily Princetonian reported 2,406 people in attendance for the historic game, “plus those watching from the trees overlooking Lourie-Love Field.” These days, the Tigers play across Washington Road at the new Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium, which opened in 2022.
Lourie-Love Field hosted the two biggest games in Princeton soccer history: the Hartwick game, and the 2004 women’s NCAA quarterfinal game where the Tigers advanced to the College Cup in a 3–1 win over Washington. Yeh College and New College West now stand in place of the old field.
That day, senior forward John Talbot ’94 broke open a scoreless tie with only 15 minutes left to play. Following a Tiger free kick into the eighteen-yard box and a deflection from the Hartwick keeper, Talbot “put the easy follow into the net, sending the crowd and the Tiger bench ... into hysterics.”
‘Prince’ coverage of the Tigers in 1993 was led by the late Grant Wahl ’96, who went on to be one of the world’s premier soccer journalists, working for Sports Illustrated and Fox Sports. Wahl tragically passed away in Qatar in 2022 from an aortic aneurysm during a World Cup quarterfinal match.
Wahl covered all four of the Tigers‘ NCAA Tournament games in 1993, culminating in a 3–1 loss to Virginia in the Final Four in Davidson, North Carolina.
His coverage was the beginning of Wahl’s illustrious soccer reporting career. Former head coach Bob Bradley ’80 remembered spending hours in his Dillon Gym office with the young reporter.
“Grant was a young guy, and he didn’t know much about soccer, but he was then covering our team.” Bradley told the ‘Prince.’ “He was a really smart guy, and he wanted to ask all the right questions, and so he wanted to learn about soccer.”
The Tigers entered the ’93 season coming off a steady 8–5–2 season the year prior, with hopes of a potential Ivy title and bid to the NCAA Tournament.
After a rough opening stretch, the Tigers found an unlikely turning point at a midseason tournament in Clemson, despite dropping both games to Clemson and UNC Charlotte.
“Coming out of that tournament, we knew that we were really good, and that now we needed to improve in a few areas, but that the potential to take that season far was really there,” Bradley told the ‘Prince.’ “So, oddly enough, I think it was when we came back from Clemson, we had some tough talks about things that needed to improve.”
The Tiger offense powered them through the final parts of the regular season and into the postseason. They scored over 50 goals that season, including five goals against Penn and five against Penn State in the NCAA Tournament.
Bradley attributed the offensive success to the Tiger’s high defensive line, a risky tactic that also led to surrendering more goals. The high line and offside trap allowed the team to get a lot of bodies forward very quickly, overwhelming defenses.
Prior to the ’93 season, the Orange and Black played with three in the back and then a free-floating sweeper. In the spring of 1993, the team took a trip to Milan, where they watched AC Milan, one of the best European professional clubs.
At the time, AC Milan was “a team that was very influential in terms of how the game was played,” according to Bradley. Copying the Italian style, the Tigers shifted to a back four, allowing them to push the whole back line forward and attack.
Senior midfielder Joe Thieman ’94 led the Tigers from the middle of the field. The Vienna, Va. native became the first player in program history to be named First-Team All-Ivy in four consecutive years. Joining Thieman in the midfield was Andre Parris ’97 and Michael Bush ’94. Parris shined in the NCAA Tournament win over Penn State, with three assists and one goal.
Some of the most impactful players for the Orange and Black came from unexpected places. Center back Drew Mickel ’94 played lightweight football [for proof: what is lightweight football?] his first year on campus before two years of junior varsity soccer. Wally Cheng ’94 was on the club soccer team at Princeton before joining JV his junior year. Another walk-on, Mike Shumka ’94, single-handedly brought the Tigers back from a 2–0 deficit against rivals Dartmouth with a hat trick.
In the end, the Tigers fell to the dominant Virginia Cavaliers, led by Claudio Reyna, who went on to play over 100 games for the U.S. National Team. The Hoos won their third consecutive national championship two days later, taking down South Carolina.
Unlike the 1993 team, the Tigers now play a different style, revolving around stifling defense and creating chances with full-field pressure.
“They're all dialed in,” Bradley told the ‘Prince’ in reference to the current squad. “You can tell how much they’re all into it, and that makes it fun to watch. That’s what a real team is all about.”
The 1093 team’s historic run saw them avenge two losses from the regular season with wins over Columbia and Hartwick. The current team may get a similar chance for revenge in their potential postseason run.
With a first-round win, the three-seeded Tigers would possibly play the 14-seeded Akron Zips — who knocked off the Tigers last year in the first round of the Tournament. Even further down the road, the 11th-seeded Bryant Bulldogs — who left Princeton with a 0–0 tie earlier this season — could await the Tigers in the Elite Eight.
On Sunday, No. 3 men’s soccer will hope to replicate some of the 1093 magic, bringing NCAA Tournament wins back to Old Nassau. Like in 1993, the Final Four will be held in North Carolina — this time in Cary, just two hours from Davidson.
Harrison Blank is a head Sports editor at the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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