Despite Frustrating 3-2 Loss to FDU in Opener, PU Men’s Soccer Still Confident of Big Season
Last fall, the Princeton University men’s soccer team opened its season by giving up two first half goals at Fairleigh Dickinson University (FDU) on the way to a 3-0 defeat.
Kicking off its 2014 campaign by playing at FDU last Friday evening, Princeton flipped the script, jumping out to a 2-0 lead on a tally by Cameron Porter early in the contest and a goal by Andrew Doar at the 55-minute mark.
Princeton head coach Jim Barlow liked the way his squad got out of the gate.
“We started well, we scored a nice goal about 4-5 minutes into the game; there was a good build-up and a lot of players touched the ball,” said Barlow.
“We felt that we were not only getting forward, we were solid defensively. We were not letting them get any chances. We were on top of things for a long stretch. In the last 20 minutes, they picked it up and had some half-chances. We felt we were in pretty good shape at halftime. We scored a goal about 10 minutes into the second half. It was a little flukey, Andrew Doar meant to cross it but it went in.”
But, stunningly, FDU produced an encore performance, repeating history by scoring three unanswered goals to pull out a 3-2 win in double overtime.
In assessing the harrowing finish, Barlow acknowledged that his squad let things slip away.
“It ended up being a really, really disappointing ending,” said Barlow. “We conceded goals on some silly mistakes.”
The Knights scored twice within a 15-minute stretch to force overtime, tallying at 64:00 and 78:58.
“On the first one, we let a guy make a run through the midfield and then we committed a foul,” said Barlow.
“The free kick deflected off of our wall and into the corner. The second was a penalty kick. Patrick Barba and their forward were running side by side; they were both looking at the ball and got tangled up. The ref called a foul on Patrick; we were disappointed but those things happen and you have to deal with them. They scored and that got them psyched up. It was a big goal.”
Despite that sequence, Barlow didn’t think the Tigers were hanging their heads as the game went into overtime.
“I still feel like we bounced back from that,” said Barlow. “We went into the second overtime still tied and we made a silly foul in the midfield. On the free kick, our goalie, Ben Hummel, got his hands on it but it bounced off and they scored on rebound.”
While Barlow declined to blame the defeat on the fact that FDU had two games under its belt coming into the evening, he acknowledged that the Tigers lacked game sharpness.
“We were not looking at each other and saying we had to get fresh legs in; we were still getting chances and going forward,” said Barlow.
“We certainly have fitness but we need to manage the game and get all of the little details right and that only comes with playing games.”
The setback didn’t dim Barlow’s belief that Princeton can win a lot of games this fall.
“I think the biggest positive is that we feel that we have a really good team,” asserted Barlow.
“We are strong at every part of the field. We are explosive. We are athletic, we have some speed and strength. We put together a lot of good plays and kept tight in the back.”
The loss, though, did expose Princeton’s need to improve on set pieces.
“We have to be better on the restarts,” said Barlow.
“We did well in the air and on corner kicks but we have to focus on not making fouls and giving up free kicks and penalties. Every game is close so you have to lean on experience and leadership to get through stretches when the other team is throwing the kitchen sink at us.”
A quartet of veterans, seniors Andrew Mills, junior Brendan McSherry, junior Nico Hurtado, and senior Porter, displayed leadership on Friday night.
“Andrew Mills had a really good game at center back,” said Barlow, noting that senior defensive star Josh Miller is still being hampered by injury.
“Brendan McSherry was very good in the midfield; he was an engine for us. He was a leader and organized the team and had a lot of good passes. Hurtado and Porter did a solid job of getting dangerous up top.”
In Barlow’s view, the players have done a good job of rebounding from Friday’s loss.
“You could make the case that this morning’s session was the best one of the season so far,” said Barlow.
“They bounced back and showed intensity; they are feeling a lot of optimism. We would have liked to get a 1-0 start and be growing while we are winning. That didn’t happen, the game is over, and we have to move forward.”
The Tigers will look to make some good things happens as they host St. John’s (0-3-1) in their home opener on September 10 at Roberts Field.
“They are an attacking, exciting team,” said Barlow, whose team plays at Seton Hall on September 14.
“They have a great history and we always have exciting matchups. It is the first day of school and we are hoping for a big crowd; that makes Roberts an exciting place for us.”