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Princeton University Athletics
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Sanner Lifts No. 23 Men's Soccer to 2-1 Win Over Harvard
October 24, 2010 | Men's Soccer
TigerBlog On Princeton's Win Over Harvard
PRINCETON, N.J. (10/24/10) - Sophomore Matt Sanner scored the game-winning goal in a 2-1 victory over Harvard to keep the Princeton men's soccer team undefeated in the Ivy League at 4-0. The Tigers have won the last eight straight games, a feat that was last accomplished 33 years ago, in 1977, to improve to 9-3-1 overall.
The No. 23-ranked Tigers found themselves down 1-0 after Harvard scored on a free kick in the 28th minute, but battled back to score both goals less than three minutes apart on a live ESPNU televised game on Myslik Field at Roberts Stadium.
The last time Princeton was down 1-0 was exactly one month ago against Richmond. The Tigers came back to defeat the Spiders 3-1 to begin their eight-game winning streak.
Sanner scored the game winner in the 56th minute. A throw in by sophomore Mark Linnville was headed by senior defender Benjamin Burton to the top corner of the six-yard box where junior Antoine Hoppenot used a bicycle kick to knock it towards the net and Sanner was in perfect position to put it away.
Princeton began the game with four shots in the first 11 minutes and looked to have the game under control.
A free kick by senior Teddy Schneider taken 35 yards out made it into the box and Burton redirected it but goalkeeper Austin Harms picked it up for the first save of the game.
Hoppenot and senior Josh Walburn both had shots that went just high with two minutes of each other.
Harvard's first trip into its attacking third came in the 9th minute and was a shot blocked by Burton.
Hoppenot would hit the cross bar in the 12th minute in the Tigers' best chance of the half. After that shot the offense seemed to lose some of its momentum, leading to the Crimson taking the 1-0 lead in the first half.
Harvard scored in the 28th minute when a foul was called on Princeton just outside the 18-yard box. Scott Prozeller took the restart from the middle of the field and it sailed around the man-made wall and into the lower left corner of the net.
Princeton would take the final two shots of the half, a shot by Linnville on a scrum and a header wide by Walburn in the final seconds.
The Tigers began the second half refocused and took three shots and one corner kick before tying the game in the 54th minute.
Schneider took a free kick from 45 yards out on the far side of the field and the delivered the ball into the box where Walburn turned and fired the ball into the lower left corner at 53:19.
Princeton continued its offensive pressure and took 11 shots in the remaining 35 minutes. The Tigers had two excellent chances to make it a 3-1 game. The first came with nine minutes left when Hoppenot fed Walburn the ball on a 2-on-1 with goalkeeper Austin Harms, but Walburn didn't get a solid shot off and the ball skirted wide. With three minutes remaining Hoppenot had a breakaway squashed by Harms who came out to stop the shot.
Harvard would take four of its 10 shots in the final 10 minutes of the game.
Princeton outshot Harvard 23-10, and had six shots on goal to Harvard's two. The Tigers edged the Crimson in the corner kick battle 5-4.
Senior goalkeeper Sean Lynch made one save in goal for Princeton, while Harms finished with four stops for Harvard that falls to 4-5-5 overall and 1-1-2 in the Ivy League.
Princeton travels to Cornell next Saturday, Oct. 30 for a 7 p.m., match with the Big Red.