Enduring a harsh, cold evening, fans packed Roberts Stadium on Sunday to watch No. 3 Princeton men’s soccer (15–2–2 overall, 7–0 Ivy League) fall to Duke (10–3–6 overall, 4–2–2 ACC) 2–1 in heartbreaking fashion in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
“It was an incredibly tough way to end the season,” Head Coach Jim Barlow ’91 told The Daily Princetonian.
The Tigers, who were given a first round bye, came into the game on a 16-game unbeaten streak, looking for their first NCAA Tournament win since 1993. On the other side, the Blue Devils had to rely on a last-minute penalty kick to take down Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the tournament.
Much of the game was controlled by the Tigers, with a start that saw four shots on target in the first fifteen minutes. Junior forward Kevin Kelley connected on a volley off a header from senior defender Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch, but it was blocked by Duke’s outstretched goalkeeper, Eryk Dymora.
After earning their second corner of the game, senior defender Jack Jasinski serviced the ball into a crowd of blue jerseys that pinged around until landing near senior forward Daniel Ittycheria. He directed a low shot to the near post, but it was deflected by Duke for another corner.
Once again, the Tigers were teetering on the doorstep of their first goal as Jasinski placed the ball towards the far post, which resulted in several Princeton players swinging and missing.
Clearing the ball, the Blue Devils’ first real chance came as they got into transition. Duke defender Jamie Kabuusu took the ball the length of the field down the right line, placing a cross across the box that rolled uncontested out of bounds.
The Tigers continued to attack the Blue Devil defense. A Kelley cross in the 10th minute escaped just ahead of Ittycheria, while a lefty-strike by junior forward Bardia Hormozi from beyond the box failed to catch the Duke goalie off guard.
On the other side of the pitch, the Tiger back line was on lockdown. Sophomore defender Roka Tsunehara shut down any Duke attack on his side, making an all-out effort in the 28th minute to tackle an unmarked Duke player. Transitioning into the Duke half, Ittycheria dribbled uncontested to the box, cutting left and delivering a curling left-footed shot that sailed over the Duke goalie and deflected off the upright, inches from crossing the goal line.
With 12 minutes left in the half, Jasinski kicked his third corner of the half, again placing it to the far post. This time, senior midfielder and captain Jack Hunt met the pass, placing a header into the back of the net for his first goal of the season.
The Tigers continued to attack, and other than a Blue Devil shot with four minutes left that was deflected out of bounds, Princeton went into the half with all the momentum.
That completely flipped for the remainder of the game.
From the whistle, Duke upped the pressure looking to break the Princeton defense. In the 61st minute, they drew a foul on Jackiniski — the 19th of the game by Princeton, and the highest total of the season — at the top of the box. Facing a direct free kick, junior keeper Andrew Samuels tracked a screaming shot to the upper left corner and punched it out of bounds.
Just a few minutes later, the Blue Devils caught the Tigers sleeping. After advancing the ball to forward Ulfur Bjornsson, midfielder Kenan Hot made a run into the box. Leading the pass beyond a Tiger defender who slipped, Hot slotted the goal past Samuels to tie the game.
During the ensuing possession, Ittycheria took a pass from the top of the box, looking to put the Tigers back on top. His touch was just strong, and as Dymora fielded the ball, Ittycheria made incidental contact with his head, leading to a second yellow card and ejection from the game.
Princeton fought to hold on while a man down, but the Blue Devil momentum was too much, and with four minutes left, Duke put another on the board.
Duke managed to fight off late advances by the Tigers, ending Princeton’s record-breaking season. Speaking after the game, Barlow could only say, “We are incredibly grateful for the 11 seniors who made this such a great and fun group to be around every day and who gave so much to make the team better.”
Xavier Latimer is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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