Tigers Win 2024 Ivy Tournament Championship

Sunday, November 17

Philadelphia, Pa.

1:00 PM

Princeton University

12-6-0, 5-2-0

Penn

14-3-1, 7-0-0

Princeton

Penn

November 17, 2024 | Men's Soccer

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, PA. – The Princeton men's soccer team won the 2024 Ivy League Tournament on Sunday afternoon, defeating no. 1 seed Penn on its home field 3-1 with three different goal scorers. Winning the tournament championship title, in the program's first appearance in the Ivy tournament, the Tigers have now earned their 12th NCAA tournament bid in history and first since 2021.

Nico Nee, Ian Nunez and Daniel Ittycheria scored in the contest. Nee's goal was his fourth in four games for the Tigers, while Ittycheria scored his third goal of the tournament. Jack Jasinski also recorded his third assist of the tournament.

With the win, Princeton now improves to 12-6 on the season, while no. 12 Penn falls to 14-3-1.

Princeton will now look to begin NCAA Tournament play following the Selection show, which will be held tomorrow, November 18th at 1 p.m.

"We knew it was going to be a really tough test playing the Ivy League Champs and a team that's beaten us the last few times on their home field, especially after such a hard-fought game Friday night. The guys just dug down deep and found the energy and mentality to have another really good game, just two days after a huge win against Cornell. It was a great effort, and the guys are really excited to see how far we can take it." - Head Coach Jim Barlow

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Tigers came out pressing early, earning the first corner of the game in the third minute, while Ittycheria registered two shots that forced a save by the Penn keeper Philip Falcon III.

Princeton continued pushing for a goal, when Dash Papez launched a shot on target in the ninth minute. Falcon was able to deflect the shot, but Nee was there to collect the rebound and chip it into the net, getting the Tigers on the board 1-0.

Despite the early lead, Princeton did not let up on the offensive pressure, registering five more shots in the next five minutes while they kept the ball largely in the attacking end.

Penn was able to gain some momentum as halftime drew near, with four corner kicks and two shots, but the 1-0 score stood at the break.

Coming out of the half, the Tigers were relentless again, battling for chances in the Quakers' attacking end. In the 62nd minute, Jasinski picked a Penn defender's pocket at the edge of the box and sent the ball in, where Nunez dribbled around an off-the-line Falcon and sent the ball into the net to double the Tiger lead.

Princeton continued to dominate possession, and in the 76th minute, the Tigers added another as Ittycheria sent a ball from Roka Tsunehara into the bottom left corner of the net, bringing the score to 3-0.

Penn ramped up their urgency in the concluding minutes of the game, and were able to find a goal in the 83rd as traffic in the box resulted in Leo Burney slipping the ball past Tiger keeper Andrew Samuels.

Still, Princeton's energy and persistence allowed them to limit the Quakers' chances and come away with the 3-1 victory.

After a thrilling semifinal on Friday and a title-winning performance today, both against nationally ranked teams (Cornell #16, Penn #12), the Tigers captured their first ever Ivy Tournament Championship and an automatic bid to the 2024 NCAA Tournament.

Of Note

This will be Princeton's 12th NCAA tournament berth in program history
The game marked Penn's first home loss since November 6, 2021, when Princeton defeated the Quakers 1-0 during its undefeated Ivy campaign.
The Tigers registered six goals in two games during the tournament, with five going unanswered during that time frame.
Princeton outshot Penn 17-9, with seven on goal to the Quakers' 3.
First-year Tsunehara's assist was his second of the tournament and third this season after assisting the game-winner during Friday's semifinal.
Nunez's goal was his second of the season, while Ittycheria's was his ninth and Nee's was his fifth.
Jasinski's assist was his 11th of the season.
Samuels recorded two saves in the contest.

Ivy League All-Tournament Honors??????
Daniel Ittycheria, Most Outstanding Player
Nico Nee
Jack Jasinski
Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch

Up Next
Game details for Princeton's NCAA berth will be given tomorrow during the NCAA Selection show at 1 p.m. The Selection show can be found at NCAA.com. The first round of the tournament will take place later this week on Thursday, November 21.