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Princeton University Athletics
Princeton University
West Virginia
Players Mentioned
Men's Soccer Opens Season at West Virginia Saturday
September 01, 2016 | Men's Soccer
| Game 1: Princeton at West Virginia | |
| Game Time | Saturday, Sept. 3 at 7 p.m. l Dick Dlesk Scoccer Stadium |
| Game Coverage | Live Video l Live Stats |
| Twitter: @PUTigers_Live | |
| Series Info | Princeton leads 1-0 (began 2015) |
| Last meeting: 3-2 OT win 110/20/15 (recap/box) | |
| Records | Princeton (0-0), WVU (1-1) |
| Princeton | Roster l Schedule l Stats l |
| West Virginia | Roster l Schedule l Stats l @WVUMensSoccer |
PRINCETON, N.J. (8/31/16) - The Princeton men's soccer team opens the 2016 season this Saturday when it makes its first trip to West Virginia. Game time is at 7 p.m. Fans unable to make it to the Mountain State can catch the action on the live stream, free of charge, follow live stats or Twitter.
The teams met for the first time last year, with the Tigers taking a 3-2 overtime victory on Myslik Field at Robert Stadium. It was a wild game that saw double overtime, two penalty kicks, two goalie changes and a single player taking 11 shots. Thomas Sanner '16 scored twice including the game-winning goal, while then freshman Jeremy Colvin had a goal and an assist. In goal Ben Hummel '16 made seven saves. Princeton outshot West Virginia 26-10 with Alec Boerner making 11 stops in goal for the Mountaineers.
Princeton is coming off of a 10-5-2 season and has to replace five starters in the rotation. Included in that mix are the top three scorers from 2015, including the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year Thomas Sanner who scored 37 percent of his teams goals (13/35). Graduated midfielders Brendan McSherry and Nico Hurtado combined for 28 points, and the back line will be missing Josh Miller as well as starting keeper Ben Hummel. Princeton brings in seven newcomers to bolster its bench. Both Colvin and Daniel Bowkett made their collegiate debuts last year and should be ready to step up offensively. Colvin finished with eight points, while Bowkett tallied 10 after an injury sidelined his freshman season. The midfield has veterans such as Brian Costa, Bryan Windsor and Vikram Pothuri and the defense will be headed up by senior captain Patrick Barba. Seniors Greg Seifert and Mark Romanowski will make a physical presence in front of the goal as well. Senior Josh Haberman made four starts in goal last year and should start this season, though four other goalkeepers on the squad will challenge.
West Virginia is 1-1 on the season after opening last weekend at the Akron Invitational. The Mountaineers topped No. 10 Georgetown 1-0 after falling to No. 14 Seattle 2-0. The win over the Hoyas gives the Mountaineers a No. 24 ranking in the Soccer America poll, though they are unranked and not receiving votes in the NSCAA poll. Sophomore Tucker Stephenson tallied the goal against Georgetown with defenders Sebastian Garcia-Herreros and Louis Thomas assisting. The squad outshot its opponents 29-16 during the weekend, with shots on goal being 11-3 in its favor. Junior Jose Santos made his collegiate debut and played 180 in goal and allowed two of those three shots on goal.