JACKED UP: Princeton University men’s soccer player Jack Jasinski, right, tracks down a ball last Friday as Princeton hosted Rutgers in its season opener. Senior defender Jasinski tallied a goal and an assist as the Tigers topped the Scarlet Knights 3-1. In upcoming action, Princeton hosts Hofstra on September 10, plays at Villanova on September 13, and then hosts UMass on September 16. (Photo by Frank Jacobs III)
By Bill Alden
Jack Jasinski and his teammates on the Princeton University men’s soccer team were looking to pick up where they left off last fall when the Tigers hosted Rutgers in their season opener last Friday night.
Coming off a 2024 season that saw Princeton catch fire down the stretch and win the Ivy League postseason tournament, there was a positive vibe as the team trained for the opener.
“We had a long preseason, we have a special group of freshmen that came in, all great guys and we have had a great time,” said senior defender/midfielder Jasinski. “We feel like we gained quality this year. We are trying to build from where we ended last year, rather than start from scratch.”
In the early going Friday, Jasinski displayed his quality, assisting on a goal by Kevin Kelley 37 minutes into the contest and then scoring a goal four minutes later as the Tigers built a 2-0 halftime lead.
In reflecting on his goal, Jasinski found himself in the right spot at the right time.
“It popped out to me in a good spot,” recalled Jasinski, a 6’2, 195-pound native of Charlotte, N.C., who earned second-team All-Ivy League honors last season when he tallied one goal and nine assists. “When you are in that spot you want to take as few touches as possible and hit it on goal. I think the surface was a little wet. I hit it on the ground and it kind of bounced off his foot or hand. I was happy to see it go in the back of the net.”
Rutgers responded with a goal at the 59-minute mark to seize momentum. The Tigers, though, were able to hold off the Scarlet Knights as freshman forward Jackson Martin scored an insurance goal with 12:19 left in regulation to help Princeton prevail 3-1.
“It was a good game, it is always competitive,” said Jasinski. “In the second half, I thought we started to get some heavy legs.”
The Tiger back line which included Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch, Dash Papez and Roka Tsunehara along with Jasinski competed hard to the end.
“I think for a first game, it was probably a good start but we don’t want to concede,” said Jasinski. “We wanted to keep a clean sheet, especially being up 2-0. We put ourselves under it by conceding that goal. It is a back line that is kind of the same as last year.
We are comfortable with each other.”
Going forward, Jasinski believes the Tigers need to play cleaner for the entire 90 minutes.
“It is always a tough game, since I have been here, whoever has been home has won,” said Jasinski. “We thought we started off well. We just have to try and maintain the intensity for the duration of the game going forward.”
Princeton head coach Jim Barlow liked the toughness displayed by his defensive unit.
“We didn’t sub any of the back four, they were just ‘unsubable,’” said Barlow. “They were so just so rock solid. They didn’t get tired, they were still getting up the field. I thought they all did a good job.”
The squad’s depth proved key as fatigue became an issue later in the contest.
“We started a very veteran team and a lot of guys who had been through all of the battles last year so they were able to adjust,” said Barlow. “But with the pace and running required in a real game, you can’t prepare for it until you are in the game. That is why we played so many guys. I give so much credit to a lot of the new guys who came off the bench today and were able to spell Vig (Sam Vigilante), Jack Hunt and Liam Beckwith and the guys up front who had been chasing and running so hard and hit the wall after 30 minutes left.”
Princeton made things hard for Rutgers with its opportunistic play in front of goal in the first half.
“We had the better of the buildup but they still had more shots in the first half so we were trying to figure out things,” said Barlow. “We talked all week about restarts and second phases of restarts. Steve (associate head coach Steve Totten) just said in our huddle, two of our goals were in second phases of restarts and their goal was on the second phase of a restart. We have to keep working on that.”
Martin’s late goal helped seal the deal for the Tigers. “He took his chance really well, that was a huge goal,” said Barlow. “The momentum had changed. We were on the brink, we were bending but we hadn’t broken. We really needed that.”
With so many returning starters, Barlow believes that win over Rutgers could be a harbinger of things to come.
“I think our guys are a confident group to start with,” said Barlow, whose team hosts Hofstra on September 10, plays at Villanova on September 13, and then hosts UMass on September 16.
“Being able to start the season against a team with a bunch of wins who has played a lot of games already, I think our guys believe, all right. we can keep this thing going. It is early. There is potential. You need some breaks, you have to stay healthy, the mentality has to stay right. The first game is always an adventure, we knew we had some good starting points. We have a lot of guys with a lot of experience so I think we relied on that. We will see.”
In Jasinski’s view, experience can make the difference for the Tigers as they go through the fall.
“We have 11 guys in our senior class so we are the bulk of the team,” said Jasinski. “We now have more starts than Princeton soccer history has ever had before.”