Men’s soccer (7–5 overall, 3–1 Ivy League) traveled to the Bronx on Tuesday for a midweek out-of-conference matchup against the Fordham Rams (6–4–4, 3–1–2 Atlantic 10). An early goal from sophomore forward Kevin Kelley was the lone goal of the game as Princeton came away with a 1–0 road win.
“We knew that it would be important to get off to a good start tonight, and we did,” Head Coach Jim Barlow wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “We were sharp and connected and put them under pressure, and Kevin’s goal was the result of a very good build-up.”
With Fordham ranked No. 45 in the NCAA RPI rankings, the Tiger win goes down as a Quadrant I victory. Based on RPI, this was the Tiger’s second biggest win of the season after previously taking down No. 32 Monmouth earlier this month.
For Princeton, there were some new faces in the starting lineup. Senior goalkeeper William Watson made his season debut for Princeton, while senior forward/defender Harry Roberts and first-year midfielder Garry Zhang cracked the starting lineup for the first time this season.
“[It] felt great,” Watson wrote to the ‘Prince.’ “[I] really had missed being on that side of the touchline, and coming away with a clean sheet made it even better.”
“[The] team put in a good effort, especially for a mid-week out of conference game,” Watson continued.
Notably, junior forward and leading goalscorer Daniel Ittycheria also rested in the first half ahead of an important Ivy contest this weekend against Yale (4–8–1, 1–3 Ivy League).
It took just six minutes for Kelley to find the back of the net. After sophomore midfielder Liam Beckwith played it to Kelley on the wing, Kelley quickly cut inside and bent the ball into the goal from the edge of the 18-yard box.
KEVIN. KELLEY. 💥🤯 Tigers lead 1–0 just 5 minutes in!!#PrincetonSoccer #WhosNext pic.twitter.com/e8jvFBKof6
— Princeton Men’s Soccer (@PrincetonMSoc) October 22, 2024
For Kelley, it was his third goal of the season, with all three coming against New York opponents: Colgate, St John’s, and now Fordham. Furthermore, Kelley scored his first goal with his younger brother on the pitch at the same time. First-year midfielder Kristian Kelley was recruited as part of the Class of 2028.
“It was a very special moment for me to not only be on the field with my brother, but my best friend,” Kevin Kelley recalled.
Watson was called into action for the first time on Tuesday evening when a Fordham shot from outside the box forced a save from the senior goalkeeper. The Rams kept pushing, earning their first corner of the match minutes after, but were unable to threaten the Tiger goal.
In the 30th minute, junior defender Giuliano Whitchurch played a ball into Roberts, forcing the Rams goalkeeper to leave his goal, stopping what could have been the Tigers second goal of the game. Moments later, Beckwith had a good opportunity after a corner kick landed in front of him at the edge of the box, but skied it above the goal.
“Liam is so steady and consistent and is such a good passer,” Barlow said. “He reads the game really well and has become an engine in the midfield.”
In the second half, the Tigers made more substitutions. Ittycheria came on for the Tigers along with junior midfielder Gabriel Duchovny. Duchovny scored his first goal of the season during the weekend contest against Columbia.
The first action of the second half came in the 52nd minute when Rams forward Andre Insalaco headed the ball just wide of the goal. Moments later, Fordham midfielder Daniel D’Ippolito forced a second save of the night from Watson.
52’ | Insalaco JUST misses on the header. Rams still looking for the equalizer.
— Fordham Men's Soccer (@FordhamSoccer) October 23, 2024
1–0 Tigers pic.twitter.com/KGC4L0ggQu
“Fordham had stretches where we were under pressure and they caused us some problems, but Will [Watson] and the rest of the defense played really well,” Barlow added. “It was a solid effort on the road against a very good and experienced team.”
Though Ittycheria and Nunez both recorded shots to start the second half, the Tigers first big chance of the second half came off a free kick in the 65th minute. After Travis was fouled, sophomore forward Ian Nunez hit the crossbar from over 20 yards out.
The next 15 minutes saw Fordham control more of the ball, but the Princeton midfield and defense kept the Rams at bay, not allowing the hosts to test Watson. In the 78th minute, the ball was in the back of the net after a Tiger corner, but a foul on Ittycheria had the goal called back. The next few minutes saw the visitors continue to push but were unable to get the insurance goal.
Despite Fordham’s effort to score the equalizer, Princeton’s defense held strong in the final minutes and the game ended 1–0 to the Tigers. For the Rams, it was their first loss in October after going unbeaten during the first four games of the month. After conceding a goal in the last four games, the Tigers kept a clean sheet for the third time this season courtesy of saves from Watson and another solid midfield performance.
Princeton will return to Ivy play this weekend when they host the Yale Bulldogs. With a win on Saturday, the Tigers would have 12 points in the league and put themselves in a great position to qualify for the Ivy League tournament. The last time a team with four wins (equates to 12 points) did not finish in the top-four was in 2011.
“Like all of the Ivy games, it is another huge match against a strong team — it feels like a championship game,” Barlow said. “They all do. We will get back to work tomorrow to prepare.”
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor and News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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