Men's Soccer Falls 1-0 at West Virginia in Season Opener

Saturday, September 3

Morgantown, WV

7:00 PM

Princeton University

West Virginia

Senior Greg Seifert

Men's Soccer Falls 1-0 at West Virginia in Season Opener

September 03, 2016 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

MORGANTOWN, W.V. (9/3/16) - Princeton would play without a full field for nearly the entire second half and the final 30 minutes down two players in a physical game in Morgantown. The Tigers fought until the very end with great plays on both the offensive and defensive ends but walked away from the season opener with a 1-0 loss to West Virginia.

It was an even battle as the game began with sophomore Sean McSherry taking a couple of tries before a header by West Virginia sailed just above the cross bar. The physicality of the game picked up and the first card came in the 32nd minute on Nicholas Badalamenti.

Just before the close of the first half, West Virginia (2-1) converted on a free kick that came off a result of a yellow card to senior Mark Romanowski in the 43rd minute. Joey Piatczyc took the restart and launched it into the box where a flick of the head by Tucker Stephenson put the ball into the back of the net.

Junior Matthew Mangini was given a red card in the 48th minute, and the Tigers were forced to endure a bigger uphill climb down a goal and now down a player. After Badalamenti received his second yellow, which results in an automatic red, Princeton had two fewer players on the field.

Senior Brian Costa had a great sliding tackle on the ball in the 63rd inside the box and sophomore Henry Martin hustled to knock the ball away when the Mountaineers had a clear chance at the goal in the 89th when Josh Haberman had moved up the field to help out the field players try to knot the game.

Senior Greg Seifert had a few chances to score for the Tigers, including one in the 82nd when he chested down a ball and then tried to put it away but the result was two deep throw ins, which he took himself. In the 72nd before Sebastian Garcia-Herreros hit the cross bar on a breakaway, Seifert had an excellent cross from the right side that the Tigers weren't able to convert.

There was only one shot on goal in the game, while total shots fell 14-1 in favor of the Mountaineers, who are ranked No. 24 in the latest Soccer America poll.

Princeton hosts St. John's in the home opener on Thursday night, September 8, which begins a three-game homestand for the Tigers.