On a snowy night at FirstEnergy Stadium, Princeton men’s soccer (12–7–0 overall, 5–2–0 Ivy League) fell to the Akron Zips (12–4–4, 7–0–1 Big East) 1–0. The loss ended the Tigers’ season while the Zips moved on to the second round of the NCAA tournament, also known as the College Cup.
“It’s just sadness right now to have the season ending after spending the last few months with a great group of guys,” head coach Jim Barlow told The Daily Princetonian. “We ran into a really good team and I think that’s the best team we’ve played this year.”
“The emotional fatigue and the physical fatigue took a toll on us, and you can see that today a little bit. We weren’t as fresh and able to cover ground as we usually do,” he continued.
The Zips dominated from start to finish, registering a staggering 27 shots compared to seven from the Orange and Black. The lone goal of the game came in the 55th minute when Akron midfielder Victor Gaulmin fired a shot from outside the 18-yard box that went past the outstretched arms of sophomore goalkeeper Andrew Samuels.
Fatigue may have played a factor for the Tigers, who upset both Cornell (13–3–2, 5–2) and No. 6 Penn (14–3–1, 7–0) last weekend in the Ivy League tournament.
Meanwhile, the Zips had three extra days of rest, having lost to No. 4 Georgetown in the Big East semifinal on Thursday, Nov. 14. Akron also had the advantage of playing at home, where they got another big turnout against Princeton.
Samuels was the only bright spot for Princeton during the match, as he registered a career-high nine saves in the match. Samuels — who got the starting spot midseason after an injury to senior captain and goalkeeper Khamari Hadaway — played in his tenth game of the season for the Orange and Black.
“His composure, presence, ability to read play, ability to anticipate what’s coming next, and his distribution and his shot stopping were all really good tonight,” Barlow added.
Head coach Jim Barlow made one change from the lineup that beat Penn in the Ivy League tournament final with junior midfielder Sam Vigilante making way for sophomore forward Kevin Kelley.
The Zips started the match with energy and kept that energy throughout the entirety of the first half. It took just 90 seconds for Akron forward Emil Jaaskelainen to test the Tiger defense, heading the ball just wide of the goal after consecutive corners from the hosts. Jaaskelainen is the top scorer in the NCAA, with a staggering 23 goals in 19 games.
Minutes later, the Zips continued to threaten the Tiger goal, nearly scoring after a ball meant for Jaaskelainen was inches away from finding the back of the net. Jaaeskelainen’s first shot on target came in the seventh minute from the center of the 18-yard box, but it was saved by Samuels.
“I don’t look who’s playing on the other team,” Samuels noted. “I go at it the same.”
“Obviously, he’s going to be a threat,” Samuels said of Jaaskelainen, “and I think our defense did a really good job stepping up. But like coach said, they did a really job of finding the width and then making crosses.”
Seconds later, Jaaeskelainen played the ball into Akron midfielder Dyson Claypier who volleyed the ball at the goal, forcing another big save from Samuels to keep the Zips at bay. Samuels made three saves in the opening ten minutes.
“We were really fortunate to get through the first 15 minutes, getting to halftime 0–0,” Barlow noted.
The Tigers started to settle into the match, but were unable to threaten Akron goalkeeper Mitch Budler. The Tiger’s first chance of the game came in the 27th minute when star junior forward Daniel Ittycheria got around two Akron defenders and played the ball into the box, but nobody was there to slot it home.
The Tigers got a big break in the 30th minute when junior midfielder Jack Hunt was nearly shown a red card after committing a hard foul seconds after being shown a yellow card, but he remained in the match.
The hosts continued to push, looking for the goal to put them ahead. Claypier was through on goal in the 32nd minute, but it was Samuels once again denying the first-team All-Big-East selection.
Samuels made his fifth save of the first half when a ball played into the box found the head of Jaaskelainen, forcing yet another big save from the California native.
“We said at the beginning of the season how our biggest strength was strength in numbers and our depth,” Samuels told the ‘Prince.’ “As each game in our season progressed, I felt more confident and more prepared to lead my team, communicate, and then also make saves.”
At halftime, Akron had 12 shots with four of them on goal. Meanwhile, the Orange and Black had just one shot with zero threatening Budler.
The opening minutes of the second half saw Princeton control more of the ball, but the visitors made little of their opportunities.
In the 55th minute, Jaaskelainen had the ball outside the 18-yard box, handing it off to Gaulmin who put the ball past the diving arms of Samuels and gave the Zips a deserved 1–0 lead.
A 55' goal from Victor Gaulmin off assists from Jonas Buechte and Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal gives Akron a 1-0 lead.#GoZips | @zipsmsoc 🦘 pic.twitter.com/a16tcev2Oo
— Akron Zips M Soccer (@ZipsMSoc) November 22, 2024
The Zips nearly put up a second goal minutes later when Wan Kuzri Wan Kamal’s shot was deflected by a Tiger defender. In the 63rd minute, it was Wan Kamal again who should’ve given the hosts a 2–0 lead, but junior defender Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch was there to clear the ball off the line.
“We were outplayed today,” Barlow said. “Akron had the better of the game, but it took a perfect finish to beat us, and our guys in the back, including this guy [Samuels] here held up great and kept us in the game.”
The next 15 minutes saw Princeton continue to defend tirelessly as they fended off multiple opportunities from the speedy Akron front line. The Zips controlled most of the ball, ending the match with 63 percent of the total possession.
“I think watching the video on Akron, we felt like their front five were extremely dangerous, but we probably didn’t realize how fast they also were, so their ability to both connect passes and get behind you, dealing with both those things was a big challenge for us,” Barlow said.
It was not until the last 10 minutes of the match that the Tiger offense came alive. The Orange and Black recorded five shots in that span, with three of them coming on target in the dying minutes. However, they were ultimately unable to find the back of the net as the Tigers season came to an end in a 1–0 defeat in Akron.
“In the last 15 minutes, I finally started to feel like we could get a goal and we had some opportunities, some chances,” Barlow added. “If the game was a little longer, maybe we sneak one in and find a way to get it done, which we’ve been doing lately.”
The Zips will now move on to the second round of the NCAA College Cup, where they will play No. 14 seeded Indiana in the second round on Sunday at 1 p.m. in Bloomington.
For Princeton, chances next season look good: From today’s starting 11, only one player graduates — senior forward Nico Nee.
The Tigers will return Ittycheria, sophomore midfielder Liam Beckwith, junior midfielder Jack Jasinski, junior midfielder Jack Hunt, first year defender Roka Tsunehara, junior defender Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch, and Samuels.
“We’ve taken a big step forward, and a lot of guys back from this group next year,” Barlow told the ‘Prince’.
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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