The No. 19 men's soccer team played to a 1-1 draw at Princeton's Roberts Stadium Saturday, leaving the two teams tied for second place in the Ivy League. The Tigers (5-3-1, 1-0-1 Ivy) fought the Bears (8-1-2, 1-0-1 Ivy) to the end of their second double overtime match of the season.
"It was definitely a great result to get on the road against one of the best teams we have played yet this season, so it was a full 90-minute battle that we just had to get through," said forward Ben Maurey '15. "We had players playing with injuries and lots of players coming in off the bench."
The strong defense on both sides of the field defined the first 30 minutes of the game. The first shot on goal was not fired until the 33rd minute by rookie Tariq Akeel '16. In the 38th minute, Tim Whalen '16 one-timed a punch ball by Princeton goalkeeper Seth MacMillan off a corner kick by Thomas McNamara '13 to give the Bears an early 1-0 lead. Whalen's goal was his second this year, and Maurey called it "the nicest one of the season." Bruno was able to keep the Tigers' offense in check for the remainder of the first half, outshooting Princeton 10-7.
After the break, Princeton turned up its intensity to respond to Bruno's powerful defensive force. The Tigers edged the Bears in shots 9-3 in the second period, and finally found the back of the net in the 73rd minute. Princeton's Mark Linnville delivered a long throw into the box, which was then headed by Matt Sanner. Cameron Porter finished the job, barely slipping the ball past goalie Sam Kernan-Schloss '13, who picked up five big saves for the Bears Saturday.
With the match stuck at 1-1, neither team backed down for the remainder of the game. Bruno pushed hard to break the tie when Maurey took a spectacular shot on net, but Princeton was able to preserve the draw.
"The game was very physical and intense from end to end the entire game," said Bobby Belair '13. "There were a lot of set pieces for both teams, which turned out to be the equalizer."
The overtime periods saw both the Bears and Tigers playing resilient soccer.
"We created some good chances towards the end of the game and into overtime, but just weren't able to get the winning goal," said co-captain Eric Robertson '13.
"Even though a tie wasn't what we wanted, it's what we deserved that night," Maurey said, "and it was a good result to get."
"Harvard is now our main focus," Voltaire Escalona '14 said. "They are a talented team who always puts up a hard fight. This weekend is a must-win for us if we are going to stay in contention for the Ivy title. The pressure is on, and we are excited to deliver for our school."
The Bears will take on the Crimson at Stevenson Field Saturday evening, and are eager to earn the three points from a victory.
"We will look to use home-field advantage to get an important win against Harvard this weekend," Belair said. "We are looking forward to having a full week of practice to train and prepare for what will be another tough match Saturday night."
