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Princeton University Athletics
Men's Soccer Begins Ivy League Play With Trip to Dartmouth
September 30, 2005 | Men's Soccer
Sept. 30, 2005
If you want some idea of how competitive the Ivy League men's soccer season might be, think about this. Each team has played at least six games heading into this weekend, and six of the eight teams are at or above .500.
One of those teams is 3-3-1 Princeton, which begins its 2005 Ivy League season Sunday afternoon at 2004 league champion Dartmouth. The Big Green has just one loss in its first seven games, against nationally-ranked Cal State Northridge, and is unbeaten (3-0-2) in its last five games.
The Tigers were just a few minutes away Wednesday night against Rutgers from their first three-game winning streak since 2001, but settled for a 1-1 tie after a late penalty-kick and two overtimes.
Princeton is undefeated on the road this season heading to Hanover (3-0) with wins at American, Drexel and Adelphi. The Tigers' three road wins in their first seven games equal their road victory total from all of last season.
The teams played to a scoreless tie last October at Lourie-Love Field, combining for just 13 overall shots and five shots on goal for the game. The Big Green would also tie Penn later in the year, but won their remaining five league games to take the league title.
Kyle McHugh scored his first goal of the year for the Tigers early in the second half against Rutgers, connecting on a left-footed volley from well outside the box. The goal was the first for McHugh, who did not play for the Tigers in 2004, since October 2003. It was also the first goal for Princeton this season that wasn't scored by either Darren Spicer or Adrian Melville.
The Tigers enter Sunday's game having allowed just one non-penalty kick goal in their last 451 minutes of game action. Sunday's game will be the second half of a women's-men's doubleheader on the Dartmouth campus. The Princeton and Dartmouth women's soccer teams play at noon.