No. 5 men’s soccer clinches Ivy title with 1–0 win over Dartmouth

Princeton Men’s Soccer is the 2025 Regular Season Ivy League Champion.

The Tigers (12–1–2 overall, 6–0 Ivy League) secured a 1–0 victory over Dartmouth (3–7–3, 2–4) at home on Saturday to clinch the Ivy League No. 1 seed, earning hosting rights for the Ivy League Tournament in two weeks. The Orange and Black led through a strike from senior midfielder Sam Vigilante in the 36th minute and then rode a dominant second half to the finish.

With Cornell (11–2–2, 4–1–1) drawing against Harvard (5–5–5, 1–3–2) earlier in the day, the Tigers entered the match knowing that a win was all they needed to be able to lift the Ivy League regular season trophy.

Early on, the game looked like a classic Ivy brawl between two strong sides. The first 10 minutes were choppy and physical, with neither side managing to retain possession of the ball or create any meaningful chances.

Still, the Big Green looked more organized in transition. Their first big chance came in the 21st minute, when a Dartmouth forward went 1-on-1 with junior goalkeeper Andrew Samuels but skied his shot over the bar.

“All credit to Dartmouth, they’re a really good team, and they really came out flying at the start,” Vigilante told The Daily Princetonian after the game. “Every game in the Ivy League’s tough.”

It didn’t take long for the Tigers to answer, though. Just two minutes later, a Princeton corner found the head of junior midfielder Bardia Hormozi, whose shot skipped just wide of the net.

The game tilted when sophomore midfielder Kristian Kelley was subbed onto the pitch. In the 36th minute, coming off a counter attack, Kelley slipped a near-perfect through ball into Vigilante’s path. Vigilante took a clean first touch and buried his second career goal, giving the Tigers a 1–0 lead. The goal proved to be the championship clincher for the Tigers.

“It’s hard to describe what I’m feeling right now,” Vigilante said. “When Kristian got that ball, I knew it was coming to me. I was just thinking, make a shot on target and hope it goes in, and thank goodness it did.”

Two minutes later, senior forward Daniel Ittycheria nearly doubled the lead, but his shot was just over the crossbar. Even so, the Tigers headed to halftime in high spirits.

Coming back onto the pitch, the Orange and Black were hungry to close out the win. Princeton established control immediately, pressing Dartmouth deep into their own half and rarely allowing the visitors to progress beyond the half line.

In the 55th minute, senior defender Jack Jasinski hammered a free kick from just outside the box that led to an opportunity off the foot of first-year midfielder Tyler Vilet, but the Dartmouth keeper swatted it away. Just 10 minutes later, Vilet was given another golden opportunity from a pass inside the box. His shot hit the side netting.

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Ittycheria was everywhere on the field, managing the Tigers’ high press effectively, maneuvering the ball past defenders, and creating opportunity after opportunity. Twice, he flashed shots just inches high above the crossbar, and even hit the woodwork once on a tap-in opportunity.

“As a forward, I’m really biased, but I like to say offense is the best defense,” Ittycheria told the ‘Prince’ after the match. “A lot of the game, the ball was in our control and we were trying to score, and their offense didn’t really have any threats.

“In a more perfect game, I wish I would score, but that’s gonna wear off, especially seeing how far we’ve come,” he added.

It wasn’t just the players; the crowd was in full voice, too. With this game being the Tigers’ last home game of the regular season, the night doubled as Senior Day. Families of seniors packed the bleachers and stayed loud throughout, cheering on the Tigers for every ball won and hollering at the visiting goalkeeper on each goal kick.

The Big Green’s only chance of the half came as a late scare with six minutes left on the clock, when a direct free kick hit the right post, although the Tigers managed to clear it away. Otherwise, the Orange and Black’s back line — with sophomore defender Roka Tsunehara aggressively stepping onto the midfield — kept the visitors quiet.

The numbers underlined the storyline. After a relatively even first half, Princeton out-shot Dartmouth 15–4 over the final 45 minutes and 6–0 in shots on target.

“This felt like a typical game of ours,” Vigilante said. “We get a goal and then our back line battens down the hatches. Of course we’d love an insurance goal, but a win’s a win.”

With the final whistle, Princeton players in the bleachers sprinted onto the field, ready to celebrate. Fans were clapping and cheering throughout the stadium. The players could be heard singing “Campeones, campeones, olé olé olé!”

This championship marks the Tigers’ first in four years. For Ittycheria, Vigilante, and a senior class 11 strong, the moment landed with extra weight.

“My first year, Penn won it on our field, and my sophomore year, we struggled,” Ittycheria said. “Now, seeing all 11 of us celebrating together, on our own pitch, it’s awesome. I love this team, and I’m so happy.”

Head Coach Jim Barlow ’91 praised his group after the match.

“I think they’re deserving champions,” he said. “They worked really hard and played so consistently all year.”

With the win, Princeton will host the Ivy League Tournament at Roberts Stadium in two weeks. But before that, they have one final away game against Penn (8–3–4, 3–1–2) on Saturday.

“We’d love to finish the league unbeaten, and keep improving our résumé for the NCAA Tournament,” Barlow said. “It’s one game at a time — that’s how we’ve approached it all year, and I’m sure we’ll keep doing it that way.”

It is now November. The Tigers will look to carry their stellar form and their home crowd’s energy into the postseason.

Kai Kim is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’

Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.