.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
Columbia
Spicer's Late Goal Gives Princeton 1-0 Win over Columbia in Men's Soccer
November 08, 2005 | Men's Soccer
Nov. 8, 2005
Box Score
Darren Spicer and Ben Young helped Princeton come from behind to win a big Ivy game Saturday night at Penn with clutch goals in the final minutes. The pair of seniors figured they'd help out again Tuesday night at Lourie-Love Field against Columbia.
Young slipped behind the Columbia defense and found Spicer, whose left-footed shot found the net with 7:46 left, giving the Tigers a 1-0 win over the Lions and a third straight win in Ivy League play.
Princeton (6-7-3, 3-2-1 Ivy) moved into fourth place in the league standings with the win and can tie for third place by defeating Yale in the regular-season finale Saturday afternoon at Lourie-Love Field (4 p.m.). The Tigers lost to Dartmouth and Brown to begin the league season but have three wins and a tie in league play since then since then.
"It's nice to have a streak going here, and we can make it four in a row by winning Saturday," said head coach Jim Barlow. "It's tough because both of those first two games could have gone either way, but we are finishing well."
"We were a little bit flat at the beginning but got some more chances in the second half," said Spicer, who scored with less than five minutes left Saturday night in the Penn win. "If you get enough opportunities good things will happen."
Columbia (3-12-1, 0-6 Ivy) saw its winless streak extend to nine games. The Lions had four more shots than Princeton (14-10), including an 8-4 advantage in the first half, but were shut out for the fifth time in six Ivy games.
The Lions had the best chance for either team in the first half just 16 seconds before the halftime horn. Einar Benediktsson's long ball hit the crossbar and bounced out to Shawn Rowatt, but Princeton goalie Bobby Guelich saved Rowatt's header attempt near the right post. Guelich had five saves for the Tigers, earning his fourth shutout of the season. Columbia had one last chance in the final 10 seconds of the game, but Scott Waddell's bicycle kick from the top of the box sailed wide.
The win was Princeton's second straight over Columbia after the Lions had won 10 straight games against the Tigers from 1994-2003.
Saturday afternoon is Senior Day at Lourie-Love Field as the Tigers will honor their eight senior players prior to the game. Yale still has a chance to earn a share of the Ivy League championship with a win over the Tigers if Dartmouth and Brown tie on Saturday.