Tigers to Face Penn in Ivy League Tournament Championship

Sunday, November 17

Philadelphia, Pa.

1:00 PM

Princeton University

Penn

Tigers to Face Penn in Ivy League Tournament Championship

November 16, 2024 | Men's Soccer

Ivy League Championship
No. 3 Princeton (11-6, 5-2) vs. No. 1 Penn (14-2-1, 7-0)
November 17 (Sun.) | 1:00 p.m. | Philadelphia, Penn.
Live Stats | ESPN+ | International

PHILADELPHIA, PA. – After defeating Cornell in the semifinals on Friday night in a 3-2 overtime thriller, the no. 3 seed Princeton men's soccer team will face no. 1 seed Penn in the Ivy League Championship. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. in Rhodes Field in Philadelphia, Pa.

This will be Princeton's first appearance in the Ivy League Tournament final.

About the Tigers

Coming back from a 2-0 deficit to win 3-2 in overtime against no. 16 / no. 2 seed Cornell, Princeton advances to the Ivy Tournament final. Daniel Ittycheria scored the first goal and the game-winner for the Tigers, while Nico Nee scored the crucial equalizer in the 83rd minute to send the game into overtime.
The goal was Nee's fourth and third in three games for Princeton.
Jack Jasinski assisted both goals during regulation last night, while first-year Roka Tsunehara assisted the game-winner. The assists were Jasinski's seventh and eighth of the season, while Tsunehara notched his second.
Last Saturday, Princeton dropped a hard-fought contest with Penn at home in Roberts Stadium, 1-0. The game was Princeton's final of the regular season, and resulted in Princeton earning the no. 3 seed in the Ivy tournament.
In the Ivy League awards announced on Wednesday, seven Tigers received honors. Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch was named to the First Team All-Ivy, while Daniel Ittycheria and Jack Jasinski were named to the Second Team All-Ivy. Liam Beckwith, Jack Hunt, Nico Nee and Roka Tsunehara were also named to the Honorable Mention list.
Following their fourth Ivy win against Yale on October 26th, in which a free kick goal by Jasinski secured the 1-0 Princeton victory, the Tigers clinched a spot in the 2024 Ivy League Championship tournament.
Ittycheria leads the Tiger offense with eight goals on the season and one assist for 17 points. He is also third in the Ivy League in both shots and shots on goal, averaging 3.59 and 1.59, respectively.
Jasinski leads the Tigers in assists, also notching the one goal along for 10 points.
Kevin Kelley and Will Francis have three goals apiece this season, as 11 Tigers have scored this season.
Senior captain Khamari Hadaway has taken the majority of matches in goal for Princeton, registering 19 saves and one shutout across seven games.
Sophomore Andrew Samuels has seen action in eight games, recording two shutouts and 24 saves on the season for a 0.89 GAA.
Three different goalkeepers have earned shutouts for Princeton this season, including Samuels, Hadaway and fellow senior Will Watson.
The Tiger defense has a goals-allowed average of just 1.18, the third-best in the Ivy League.
Princeton is now just one of four teams in the country to have zero draws on the season, and the only one in the Ivy League.
The Tigers are ranked 12th nationally and first in the Ivy League in corner kicks, registering an average of 6.38 per game.

About the New Tigers

The Tigers' Class of 2028 was ranked the no. 13 recruiting class by TopDrawerSoccer, including Cyrus Klinenberg (No. 77), Kristian Kelley (No. 82), Roka Tsunehara (No. 113), Dash Papez (No. 116), and Nathan Salerno.
The Tiger newcomers have already made significant contributions to the Orange and Black's success. Tsunehara has been a mainstay in the Tiger starting XI, recording two assists this season, while freshmen Kelley has two starts to his credit after seeing action in eight games.
A pair of new Tigers hail from the D.C. United academy system in Papez and Zhang. Papez has five starts and an assist on the season across six games this season so far, while Zhang has also notched one start and a goal, seeing action in six games. The two led their team to win the U16 MLS Next Cup Playoffs while making deep runs in both his U15 and U17 years in 2023.
Tsunehara was named to the TopDrawerSoccer preseason All-Freshman team on August 20. The Burlingame, Calif., native was the 2022 MLS Next U16 National MVP. He was also a leading scorer for the San Jose Earthquakes U17 team as they reached the semifinals of the MLS Next cup in 2023.
Freshman goalkeeper Salerno comes to Princeton after playing with the Columbus Crew II and helping secure key victories in the MLS Next Pro playoffs.

About Coach Barlow

Head coach Jim Barlow is in his 28th season as the men's soccer head coach and has accumulated 221 career wins with the Tigers, the most for any soccer coach in Princeton history, men's or women's. Barlow was also named the 2021 Ivy League Coach of the Year.

About No. 1 Penn

Penn enters Sunday with an overall record of 14-2-1 on the season while going 7-0 in Ivy regular season play.
Penn clinched the outright Ivy Championship regular season title last Saturday after defeating the Tigers 1-0 in Roberts Stadium. Stas Korzeniowski scored the lone goal for the Quakers.
Yesterday, Penn defeated Brown 2-1 in overtime in the Ivy League semifinals to advance to Sunday's championship. Jack-Ryan Jeremiah scored the equalizing penalty kick while Oliver Pratt scored the game-winner.
Korzeniowski leads Penn with 12 goals and two assists on the season for 26 points.
Philip Falcon III has played all 17 matches in goal for the Quakers, recording 47 saves for a 0.70 GAA.
Princeton is 9-6-3 all-time against Penn, with the series dating back to 2006.