Princeton University
UC-Irvine
Players Mentioned
No. 23 UC-Irvine Takes 2-1 Game From Princeton Men's Soccer
September 25, 2009 | Men's Soccer
SAN DIEGO, Calif. (9/25/09) - Two second half goals by UC-Irvine gave the Princeton men's soccer team its second loss of the season, falling 2-1 at the Nike Aztec Soccer Classic.
Princeton (4-2) took a 1-0 lead in the first half, on an 86 degree day at the San Diego State University Sports Deck on Friday, September 25. The goal was junior Josh Walburn's six goal of the season. Senior captain Devin Muntz delivered a perfect set piece from the far corner of the 18-yard box and Walburn used his head to redirect the ball into the left corner of the goal, on Princeton's first shot on goal.
The No. 23-ranked Anteaters (6-2) outshot Princeton 7-3 in the first half, but junior goalkeeper Sean Lynch brought his A game picking up four saves to keep the Tigers alive.
Jonathan Prieto tested Lynch eight minutes into the game but his shot went directly into the arms of Lynch. Six minutes later, Lynch made a great stop when Spencer Thompson went at him one-on-one. Lynch stopped the ball with an outstretched arm and a Tiger defender knocked the ball out of play. Amani Walker had UIC's second one-on-one midway through the first half but once again Lynch stopped the shot.
In the second half, the Anteaters got two goals within eight minutes of each other to take the 2-1 lead.
Following an Antoine Hoppenot scoring chance, UIC brought the ball down the field and Pietro picked up a pass from Irving Garcia to tie the game at 60:15.
Walburn and senior Ben Harms both had chances to regain the lead. Walburn had a header go just wide in the 63rd minute, and Harms had a shot saved by goalkeeper Andrew Fontein in the 65th minute.
Two minutes later Kevin Santora gave the Anteaters the lead when he blasted a shot into the upper right corner after Thompson sent a pass right into the middle of the field at 67:38.
The Tigers spent the remainder of the game trying to find the equalizer, outshooting the Anteaters 10-6 in the second half.
Junior Brandon Busch ran onto the goal to grab a Matt Sanner cross but the shot hit the cross bar with 13 minutes to play. Sanner was a factor in another close scoring opportunity. With under five minutes to play, Sanner had the ball on the left side and found his path to the goal blocked by Fontein. He slid the ball around Fontein to Max Hare, but Hare's shot was stopped by the keeper.
Shots in the game were even at 13 apiece, while UIC had an 11-2 advantage in corner kicks. Lynch finished the game with five saves, while Fontein made three stops.
Princeton is now 4-2 on the season, with both losses to top-25 teams. The Tigers will play the host school San Diego State on Sunday, Sept. 27 at 12 p.m. PST.