Samuels, Vilet deliver as No. 16 men’s soccer defeats UAlbany 1–0

For nearly half an hour Saturday night, No. 16 men’s soccer found itself absorbing pressure on the road against UAlbany.

Then, within six minutes, two plays flipped the match.

Senior goalkeeper Andrew Samuels denied a penalty kick before sophomore midfielder Tyler Vilet headed home his first career goal, lifting Princeton (4–0–1 overall, 0–0–0 Ivy League) to a 1–0 win over UAlbany (3–2–0, 0–0–0 America East).

This victory extended Princeton’s unbeaten start to five games and marked the Tigers’ fourth consecutive shutout. Samuels finished with six saves, while Vilet’s 33rd-minute header was all the offense Princeton needed.

UAlbany controlled much of the opening play, producing the game’s first shot before forcing Samuels into a save in the 16th minute.

The Great Danes’ best opportunity came in the 28th minute when Princeton conceded a penalty. UAlbany midfielder Caleb Vallance stepped to the spot and sent his attempt low, but Samuels read it perfectly, making the save to keep the match scoreless.

“Before the shot is even taken, I’m trying to get into the kicker’s head as much as possible,” Samuels wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “As a keeper your only advantage is that you are not supposed to save it, which gives you the mental edge. I try to seize that opportunity.”

Samuels said he felt Vallance was uneasy before the attempt.

“I could sense he was a bit nervous and tried to stall, ‘ice him out,’” Samuels said. “By the time the whistle blows for him to take the kick, I feel like I am in control.”

SAMUELS DENIES THE GREAT DANES 🧱❌ Samuels with a huge save on UAlbany's penalty kick to keep it scoreless with 15 left in the first half! #PrincetonSoccer #WhosNext https://t.co/R3QECmLkr5

— Princeton Men’s Soccer (@PrincetonMSoc) September 12, 2026

Princeton quickly capitalized.

Five minutes later, the Tigers earned a free kick outside the box. Junior forward Roka Tsunehara stepped over the ball and drove his service toward goal.

“We won a free kick in a spot that was dangerous enough for us to be able to serve it into the box,” Tsunehara wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “I was looking to put it into a spot where I knew my teammates would be able to attack the ball and get a chance on goal.”

Vilet did exactly that.

“Before the ball was served in I was actually pushed by the guy defending me and the ref had to come and break it up, so it fired me up,” Vilet wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “I nudged my defender off of me to create separation and then just attacked the space at the front post.”

Vilet beat his defender to Tsunehara’s service and redirected the ball toward the far corner, putting Princeton ahead 1–0 at 32:47.

WAY TO USE YOUR NOGGIN, VILET! 😮‍💨🔥 Vilet heads in his career-first off the service from Tsunehara and it's 1-0 Tigers! #PrincetonSoccer #WhosNext https://t.co/mNoDAba3W1

— Princeton Men’s Soccer (@PrincetonMSoc) September 12, 2026

“I saw Roka whipped the ball in pretty hard so all I had to do was flick it on frame, and the ball happened to go in the corner,” Vilet said.

For Vilet, who recorded his first collegiate point against James Madison last week, the goal represented another milestone.

“It meant a lot, I was filled with emotion after seeing the ball hit the back of the net,” Vilet said. “It made me so happy looking back on all the minutes I put in freshman year and to now contribute to the score sheet.”

Despite being outshot 6–2 in the opening half, Princeton entered the break ahead.

The Tigers found more attacking opportunities after halftime. Senior forward Bardia Hormozi led Princeton with six shots, twice forcing the UAlbany goalkeeper into saves.

But with Princeton unable to find an insurance goal, Samuels continued to protect the narrow advantage.

UAlbany forced him into back-to-back saves around the hour mark before launching one final push in the closing minutes. UAlbany’s Roko Branko Mrvelj tested Samuels in the 90th minute, but the Princeton keeper made his sixth and final save to seal the result.

For Tsunehara, Saturday’s assist — his third of the season — reflected a growing connection within Princeton’s attack.

“Continuing to put trust in my teammates and get forward in the attack has led to more assists,” Tsunehara said. “I have full faith that my teammates will finish the opportunities that I can help create.”

UAlbany ultimately outshot Princeton 13–10 and placed six attempts on target compared to the Tigers’ three, but none got past Samuels.

Through five matches, Princeton has now conceded just one goal, while Samuels’ fourth shutout lowered his goals-against average to 0.20.

The Tigers will continue their four-game road swing Tuesday night against Rutgers in Piscataway. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Yurcak Field.

Matthew Yi is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’

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