Sports and Data writers analyze recent athletic competitions to provide analysis and insight on the happenings of Princeton athletics and individual players across the 38 intercollegiate teams at Princeton. Whether they are record-breaking or day-to-day, statistics deliver information in concise ways and help inform fans who might have missed the action. Read past By the Numbers coverage here.
This week, we look at the historic season for No. 3 men’s soccer.
Princeton Tigers: Men’s Soccer
The Tigers have played 18 games across six U.S. states over the course of the season, playing teams from across eight conferences. They won just over 83 percent of games overall, up from 63 percent the year before and 27 percent in 2023.
With their only loss coming at home to Hofstra, the Tigers haven’t lost since early September. Princeton was dominant on the road — winning seven and drawing the eighth — and defended Roberts Stadium well.
1906 was a memorable year for many reasons: The San Francisco earthquake happened, Theodore Roosevelt became the first U.S. President to visit a foreign country, and men’s soccer played their first ever game. One hundred-and-nineteen years later, the Tigers are rising to new heights.
Victorious in victories
With their win over Harvard in the Ivy League Tournament semifinals, their 14th of the season, the Tigers broke their 32-year record for most wins in a season. Three previous teams — 1993, 1995, and 2010 — had won 13 games, most notably the 1993 team that went to the Final Four. Now, the Orange and Black sit at 15 wins, the second most in the nation.
Sweet sixteen
The Tigers haven’t tasted defeat in 70 days, since their 1–0 loss to the Hofstra Pride. Thereafter, Old Nassau has gone 16 games unbeaten, one game more than the combined 15 games undefeated that the 1919 and 1920 teams lasted.
Ivy tower climbs higher
The Ivy League has never been a soccer powerhouse. That honor usually is assigned to the Atlantic Coast Conference. Princeton’s No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament is the highest for any Ivy school ever — outpacing Penn’s sixth seed last year.
Goose eggs galore
Defense — historic defense, in fact — has been a highlight of the season so far. The Orange and Black conceded zero goals in regular season Ivy play, a first in the 70 years since Ivy round robin play began. Only one team ever gave up only one goal — the 1986 Yale Bulldogs.
The Nassau wall
All opponents found the Tiger defense virtually unbreachable this year. Only five teams scored; none scored twice. The Princeton defense sits atop several national categories: goal conceded, goals against average, save percentage, and total shutouts. The Tigers’ goals against average of 0.278 — if maintained — would come in at fourth-best in NCAA history.
Iron men
Four Tigers played over 1,500 minutes throughout the season, which comes out to over 16 full games. Senior defender Jack Jasinski, junior goalkeeper Andrew Samuels, and sophomore defenders Dash Papez and Roka Tsunehara all broke the mark. Senior defender Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch missed three games to injury but averaged almost 85 minutes a game.
Spreading the wealth
Senior forward Danny Ittycheria and junior forward Bardia Hormozi led Princeton with nine and six goals respectively. Nine other Tigers contributed a goal this season, as the Tigers averaged 1.83 per game. Every single class year scored a goal, with the Class of 2026 leading the way with 16.
Five for five
For the past three seasons, Ittycheria has consistently scored nine goals per season for the Tigers, leading the squad in each year. This season, the senior from New Jersey netted a goal in five consecutive games, the second-longest streak in Tiger history — second to only Edward Harrison Jr. in 1963.
Shutout station Samuels
Not only was the defensive performance by the Orange and Black this season the best in the nation, it was also the best in recent Princeton history. Samuels, the stalwart in goal, recorded the most shutouts — 11 — in program history. He also conceded the second-least goals ever per game, second to Chandler R. Brewer during the Second World War in 1942. His save percentage, which is calculated as goals conceded divided by total save, of .921 — the highest ever and the first over .9 since the 1970s.
Professional passing
Jasinski has been a crucial cog in the Tiger offense all four years at Old Nassau, finishing first or second in assists each season. In 2024, he dished out nine assists, tied for third-highest ever in a single season for the Tigers. His 21 career assists are tied with Michael C. Busch 1995 for third-most in Princeton history, trailing Joe Thieman 1994 and Andre Parris 1997 — two heroes of the only Final Four run in program history in 1993.
Harrison Blank is a head Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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