.png&width=24&type=webp)
Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
American
Tigers Drop 2-0 Decision At American In Men's Soccer
September 07, 2007 | Men's Soccer
American's Mike Worden finally ended a Princeton second-half charge with a goal in the 81st minute, providing insurance for the Eagles in a 2-0 victory over the Tigers that saw Princeton play a man down for all but two minutes of the second half.
Princeton (0-2) had eight shots in the second half, including a big chance from senior Dan Cummins in the 61st minute, but American goalie Chris Sedlak stopped that one to maintain his team's one-goal lead. The Tigers were forced to play with just 10 players after sophomore Nate Krinsky was given a red card on a tackle 1:58 into the second half.
"I thought we did well to take that frustration from being a man down and turn it into positive play, but we needed to have that kind of intensity in the first half," said Princeton coach Jim Barlow. "We've only been good in spurts in the first two games and not for an entire half or game."
American (2-1), which ended a three-game winless streak against the Tigers, had gone ahead in the 32nd minute thanks to the efforts of Daniel Shannon, who took one shot that was blocked before recovering the rebound and volleying a second shot into the lower left corner of the net.
Princeton goalie Joe Walter was forced to face 26 American shots, including 12 with his team a man down, but responded with a career-best 11 saves, including several diving stops with the game still at 1-0. Freshman Teddy Schneider also had a "save," knocking a sure goal off the line earlier in the game.
The Tigers had 10 shots, including Cummins' chance and another good chance from substitute Ted Wolfson in the second half, but Sedlak had three saves to earn the shutout.
"We're still trying to find a lineup and see who that top 11 will be right now," said Barlow, who used seven players off the bench on a day when the game time temperature reached the lower 90's under a hot sun. "Obviously we'd like to be able to win some of these early-season games, but it's also about finding out who's going to help us down the line."
Princeton will host another Patriot League opponent, Colgate, in its next game Sept. 14 at Powers Field at Princeton Stadium.