After spending a majority of the first half on Friday night absorbing pressure from James Madison, No. 23 men’s soccer entered halftime searching for a response.
A formation change, an early second-half breakthrough, and another resilient defensive performance provided exactly that.
Senior forward Bardia Hormozi scored twice, and senior goalkeeper Andrew Samuels made six saves as Princeton (3–0–1 overall, 0–0–0 Ivy League) defeated James Madison (1–4–0, 0–0–0 Sun Belt Conference) 2–0 at Roberts Stadium.
This victory extended the Tigers’ unbeaten start to the season and gave Samuels his second consecutive shutout.
“I think our overall work rate has been really good,” Samuels told The Daily Princetonian. “We’ve done an even better job this season tracking runners, being aware, doing the extra hard running to get into spots early.”
The Dukes tested that work rate almost immediately. Just over a minute into the match, James Madison forward Carlos Tur directed a low shot on goal, forcing Samuels into his first save of the night.
The visitors continued to create the more dangerous early opportunities, registering five first-half shots and repeatedly challenging Princeton with long balls and physical play. Samuels made another save in the 16th minute to keep the match scoreless.
Princeton slowly settled into the contest. Hormozi generated two attempts in quick succession during the 17th minute, while senior forward Kevin Kelley recorded the Tigers’ first shot on target in the 22nd.
Still, neither side found a breakthrough before halftime.
“I was a little bummed with how we came out,” Samuels said. “I don’t know if we weren’t ready or I didn’t help get the team prepared, but we eased our way into the game.”
At the break, Head Coach Jim Barlow ’91 shifted Princeton into a 3-5-2 formation, placing Hormozi as one of the Tigers’ two forwards. The adjustment produced an immediate result.
In the 51st minute, junior forward Roka Tsunehara played a ball across goal. Sophomore midfielder Tyler Vilet headed it down into Hormozi’s path, and Hormozi reacted first, redirecting the ball past the James Madison goalkeeper.
“It was just anticipation, being always ready there,” Hormozi told the ‘Prince.’ “We switched to a 3-5-2, and I played one of the forwards, so [I was] just anticipating that ball. It dropped for me, and I just smashed it home.”
The goal was Vilet’s first career point contribution and Tsunehara’s first assist of the season.
With Princeton ahead, James Madison increased its pressure. The Dukes took 11 shots and earned all seven of their corner kicks during the second half, compared to Princeton’s eight shots and one corner.
The Tigers’ defense repeatedly survived the pressure.
Sophomore defender Frederik Sadjak made a crucial sliding intervention to stop a James Madison breakaway, while Samuels denied multiple attempts over the closing half-hour. James Madison finished with a 16–14 advantage in total shots and placed six on target, but Samuels stopped all six.
“It’s really the little things, the little details, not turning off,” Samuels said. “That’s our biggest key point we’ve had this year.”
James Madison’s comeback attempt became more difficult in the 82nd minute when defender Ikenna Nnawuchi received a red card, reducing the Dukes to 10 players.
Despite the numerical disadvantage, the Dukes nearly equalized late. Tur sent an effort toward the top of the net in the 87th minute, but Samuels rose to push it over the crossbar and preserve Princeton’s lead.
“That’s college soccer, right?” Samuels said. “The game is never over.”
Less than three minutes later, however, Hormozi removed any remaining doubt.
The senior collected a forward pass, accelerated into the penalty area, and poked the ball beyond the goalkeeper in the 90th minute. The goal was initially surrounded by some uncertainty, but the official scoring credited Hormozi with his second goal of the match. The two-goal performance brought him to three goals and a team-leading eight points through Princeton’s first three games.
For Hormozi, the victory demonstrated Princeton’s ability to win even when the match does not initially unfold according to plan.
“It shows mentality [and] character,” Hormozi said. “There’s a lot of guys here that really want it. I’m really impressed, and it can get a lot better.”
Matthew Yi is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
Read More
Field hockey dominates ODU in season-opener before falling to UNC in dramatic shootout fashion
Emilia ReayAfter dominating ODU 4-0, field hockey fell short against UNC following a down-to-the-wire shootout.
After dominating ODU 4-0, field hockey fell short against UNC following a down-to-the-wire shootout.
Normani brings her ‘Wild Side’ to Princeton’s Lawnparties
Riley Price and Kimberly HutchinsonNormani was the first pop headliner for Princeton Lawnparties in two years.
Normani was the first pop headliner for Princeton Lawnparties in two years.
Princeton Council discusses community resources, e-bikes during summer meetings
Hifza Kaleem, Kevin Jin, and Michelle HarrisOver the summer, the Princeton Council surveyed residents’ needs, discussed new state legislation around e-bikes, and chose to hold off on updating the municipality’s public parking fees and regulations following community pushback.
Over the summer, the Princeton Council surveyed residents’ needs, discussed new state legislation around e-bikes, and chose to hold off on updating the municipality’s public parking fees and regulations following community pushback.