This past week, the Tigers (5–5 overall, 2–1 Ivy League) played both No. 16 Cornell (9–1–2, 2–1) and unranked Army West Point (4–8–1, 1–4 Patriot League).
The Tigers suffered narrow 1–0 defeats to both squads and now sit with a .500 record.
Late goal gives Cornell road win
Heading into the Cornell game, the Tigers had strung together three consecutive wins and were sitting atop the Ivy League standings alongside No. 12 Penn (9–2–1, 3–0 Ivy League).
“[It is] very important for everyone to be ready and take advantage of their opportunity on the field,” junior forward Daniel Ittycheria wrote to the Daily Princetonian. “We have a lot of depth especially in the attacking areas, so wherever a guy gets injured, it is important for the next person to step up and take advantage of their opportunity.”
Both teams got their fair share of opportunities in the opposing box, but were unable to threaten either goal to start. The first big chance of the game came in the 16th minute when sophomore midfielder Liam Beckwith played a ball into Ittycheria, who headed the ball on goal. The shot was saved by Cornell goalie Ryan Friedberg.
Friedberg was named the Ivy League rookie of the year in 2022 and had three saves against Princeton on Saturday afternoon, earning his sixth shutout of his junior year.
A few minutes later, senior goalkeeper and captain Khamari Hadaway had the ball taken from him before denying Cornell forward Alex Harris. Harris had 12 goals in his first season in 2023 and was the unanimous rookie of the year. Unfortunately for Princeton, Hadaway picked up an injury on the takeaway and was forced to be subbed off. Sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Samuels came in for Princeton.
“I thought the guys fought hard in the Cornell game, and it was a very disciplined effort defensively,” Head Coach Jim Barlow wrote to the ‘Prince.’
“We had a number of injuries, and players like [goalkeeper] Andrew Samuels and [defender] Sebastian Swary stepped into a very tough match and played well.”
Within a minute of the game resuming, Cornell hit the post in what seemed to be a sure goal for the visitors. The Big Red continued to attack in the Tiger half, but were unable to threaten Samuels with the added momentum.
The next big chance came in the 37th minute when Ittycheria played a ball into Beckwith who forced a save from Friedberg. In the final minute of the first half, Alex Harris slipped past two Tiger defenders and forced a big save from Samuels. Despite the end-to-end action, the first half ended scoreless.
The second half started the same way the first half ended. In the opening minutes of the half, Harris was once again through on goal, but Samuels made his second save of the match to deny the Ivy League’s leading goalscorer.
Big chances were limited in the second half. The breakaway came in the 76th minute when Cornell forward Giorgos Diakos got the ball in the center of the box, placing it in the goal with his first touch to give the Big Red a 1–0 lead.
Cornell was able to create more scoring opportunities, but ultimately was unable to finish past Samuels for a second goal. Princeton’s fatigue was evident on the pitch in the final 10 minutes, as they were unable to find an equalizer and dropped their first Ivy League contest.
Tigers unable to finish chances in loss to Army
Just a few days later, the Tigers were back at Roberts Stadium to take on Army West Point in a non-conference matchup.
Army was coming off a Friday night conference win against Navy (3–5–4, 2–2–1) and was looking for its first consecutive win of the 2024 season. Army lined up in a 3–4–3 formation while Princeton came out in their regular 4–3–3. Samuels was in goal once again, with Hadaway unable to make it back for the midweek match.
“I don’t have any comments about the injury, but Andrew Samuels has played really well, and the team is confident in him and our other goalkeepers,” Barlow said. “We have had many injuries in several positions this year, and the guys who have stepped in have all been ready.”
It took just 39 seconds for Ittycheria to force a save from Army goalkeeper Blair Camargo. In the opening two minutes, the Tigers had three corner kicks, but were unable to convert from the set pieces.
With 15 minutes remaining in the first half, sophomore midfielder/forward Bardia Hormozi subbed in for Princeton. Hormozi registered the Tigers’ biggest chance of the half when he bent the ball in what looked to be a sure goal before the ball hit the woodwork.
Army was unable to threaten the Tiger goal in the first half. Princeton dominated possession and allowed just two shots from Army, with none of the shots ending up on goal. The Tigers had seven corners compared to zero for the Black Knights in the first half.
In the second half, Army subbed in Keanu Likewise in goal to replace Camargo. In the 49th minute, senior defender Issa Mudashiru shot just wide of the goal off a corner. The Tiger captain appeared to be in disbelief following the missed shot from point blank range. Moments later — off another set piece — sophomore forward Kevin Kelley and Midashiru had two more shots for the Tigers.
“It was super frustrating to have so many chances and not score, especially in the second half when we had 17 shots,” Barlow said. “We need to be better in those moments.”
He continued, “At times, we weren’t composed in front of the goal, and we wasted a number of excellent opportunities. But we are playing well and are confident that the goals will start coming.”
In the 62nd minute, first-year forward Roka Tsunehara played a ball into the back post which landed in front of Ittycheria, who was unable to convert the golden opportunity for the Tigers. Minutes later, Beckwith found Nee, who was through on goal but was unable to convert the chip shot.
Chef’s kiss 🤫 https://t.co/CmyAxj6sX5 pic.twitter.com/vandZKcw2M
— Army Men’s Soccer (@ArmyWP_MSoccer) October 16, 2024
Princeton was back on the attack, forcing multiple saves from the Army goalkeeper in a span of two minutes. The confidence was there for the Tigers on the attack, but they were unable to convert.
Kelley played a ball into Hormozi, whose header was inches away from finding the back of the net. Less than a minute later, Ittycheria once again was through on goal, but his shot went just wide of the goal.
“Finishing was poor in the Army game and ultimately the reason we lost; however, I am very proud of the team for creating those many chances,” Ittycheria noted. “We are a talented team, and as long as we create these opportunities, the ball will go in the back of the net.”
“We are moving in the right direction, and as long as we get in those spots time and time again, we will finish those chances,” he added.
In the 82nd minute, Ittycheria kicked the Tigers’ 20th shot of the game, going just left of the goal again. Army was playing more physical, willing to do anything to deny the Tigers an equalizer.
With just over three minutes remaining in the game, Princeton gave the ball away during the attack which led to a two-on-one for the Black Knights. Despite getting past Samuels, Army was unable to score its second goal of the game, hitting the crossbar after a deflection from junior defender Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch.
Despite 20 shots — including 17 shots in the second half — and seven shots on goal, the Tigers were unable to find the back of the net and dropped their second straight game. When the final whistle sounded, multiple Princeton players laid flat on their backs on Myslik Field after a game where they could have won by four or five goals.
Next up for the Tigers will be another Ivy League contest against the Columbia Lions (1–8–1 overall, 1–1–1 Ivy League). Despite its poor record, the Lions have faced multiple narrow defeats in 2024 and will look for its second league win of the season. Kickoff will be on Saturday, Oct. 19 at 4 p.m.
“Columbia has played great recently, beating Yale and tying Dartmouth,” Barlow wrote to the ‘Prince’ anticipating the next matchup. “It will be another tough challenge for us, and we are hoping to bounce back from our recent defeats.”
“We need to be at our best both with the ball and around the goal, as well as defensively. Our focus has been on continuing to improve in all of these areas. We are excited for another big game,” he added.
Hayk Yengibaryan is an associate Sports editor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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