Men's Soccer: College cultures collide on the pitch

But this was no ordinary NCAA game for the Tigers. Instead, this matchup with the Oxford University Association Football Club first team was the first time that many of the players on the Princeton squad had played what could be considered an international friendly.

“We don’t get those experiences too often,” head coach Jim Barlow ’91 said. “It was a good experience for the guys, and we’re thankful that they called us when they were planning their tour to try to set up a friendly.”

The match at Princeton was the Blues’ last stop in a 10-day tour of the Northeast that included victories over Yale and Columbia and a tie with Harvard. Oxford captain Julian Austin said that this was the first time that the Blues have traveled to the United States in the last 25 years and that he and his mates had enjoyed the trip very much.

“If we could do this every year, I’d absolutely love to,” Austin said. “We’re hoping to do it much more in the future. It’s just a great opportunity — it’s fantastic.”

Austin explained that intercollegiate athletics, particularly in a sport like soccer, serve very different purposes in the United States and England. While American college sports often serve as a stepping stone to the professional level — three Tigers have been selected in the Major League Soccer draft in the past two years — players at British universities often already have some professional experience.

Austin — who hails from New Zealand and is studying engineering at Oxford — played professionally for two years at Histon F.C. before deciding to pursue an academic career.

“In England it’s very different: You either choose to do academia, or you choose to be a professional,” Austin said. “Most of us guys have tried to be a pro already and not made it, but now we’re going to University and we’re playing at the best level we can.”

While it may be the highest non-professional level available in England, athletics at English universities do not receive the same level of funding and support that American universities provide for their teams. Throughout their trip around the Ivy League, Austin and his teammates noticed that the athletic facilities and infrastructure were much better than those at Oxford.

Despite the relative lack of institutional support, the Blues outplayed Princeton’s rivals and showed signs of life in the second half of the game against the Tigers. While Barlow attributed Oxford’s struggles in part to fatigue — it was, after all, the squad’s fifth match on the road in 10 days — he said he was pleased with the way his team played considering it was the first week of training.

The win gave the Tigers the chance to test out their new 4-3-3 formation, which allowed them to pass fluidly and defend almost impeccably. Austin said that, in the first half, his squad was overrun by Princeton in the midfield, which tired them out quite a bit. Princeton dominated possession for most of the game, and Oxford did not even get a shot off until the second half.

“Something we’ve really been stressing this offseason is making sure that we work hard all over the field defensively, and that came into fruition that half,” junior captain and defender Mark Linnville said. “We were able to keep a high line and press them when they had the ball, and when we had the ball we were calm and collected and passed it well.”

Linnville said the chance to play against an English team was a great opportunity for his team as well, adding that he would like to play more international games in the future.

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While the Blues’ style of play was not drastically different from what he had experienced with American teams, Linnville said the Oxford squad was much chattier on the pitch than the teams the Tigers generally encounter.

“They’re always a little bit more talkative than we are,” Linnville said. “But for both of us, it’s soccer; it’s a round ball and we’re both trying to put it in the back of the net.”

While the teams did not end up trading jerseys, they did exchange gifts at the end of the game: Princeton gave Oxford a bag with a banner, some hats and a lot of pins, while the Blues provided the Tigers with a miniature shield with their club’s symbol.

“It was nice to exchange gifts,” Linnville said. “Kind of like an international friendly game.”