Tigers Travel to Face Villanova

Princeton (1-1-0) vs. Villanova (2-1-2)
September 12 (Sat.) | 1:00 p.m. | Villanova, Pa.
Live Stats | ESPN+

PRINCETON, N.J. – The Princeton men's soccer team will head to Pennsylvania for its first road contest of the season to face the Villanova Wildcats. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 12 at the Higgins Soccer Complex.

Closing Out Week 1
The Tigers are coming off a loss to Hofstra at home on Wednesday, which saw the Pride convert on a penalty kick to win 1-0.

Princeton opened the season last Friday with a strong 3-1 win over Rutgers. Three Tigers scored in the match, including Kevin Kelley, Jack Jasinski and freshman Jackson Martin, who opened his NCAA account.

In addition to his goal, defender Jasinski tallied an assist on Kelley's goal for three points on the night. He is one of just two Ivy League players to have a performance of 3+ points in a game this season, and earned himself a nod as an honorable mention on the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week.

Andrew Samuels has been in goal for both contests, registering six saves across both matches.

Hungry Tigers
The defending Ivy League Tournament Champions return to Roberts this year after a successful 2024 season that saw the Tigers go 12-7 and make an NCAA Tournament appearance.

Princeton was picked to finish second in the Ivy League preseason poll, receiving five first-place votes.

The Tigers return 24 players this season, accounting for 70% (21 of 30) goals and 85% of assists (24 of 28). Of the 24 returners, 11 are seniors.

Keeping an Eye Out
Key returning seniors Daniel Ittycheria, Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch and Jasinski were named United Soccer Coaches Players to Watch in their respective positions this preseason.

Whitchurch was named to the MAC Hermann Watch List earlier this month, as the centerback was one of just seven defenders and 29 players to be selected nationally. His leadership on the back line helped Princeton to a goals-against average of 1.16 in 2024, and he was named to the First Team All-Ivy and the Ivy League All-Tournament Team.

Jasinski led the Tigers in assists with nine last season, putting him third in the Princeton record book for assists in a single season and fifth in career assists (17). With one more, he will tie Kevin O'Toole '22 for fourth.

Jasinski and Ittycheria were both named to the Second Team All-Ivy last season.

Called Up
Ittycheria was drafted by D.C. United in the 2025 MLS Superdraft. He was selected in the second round as the 40th overall pick after leading the Tigers in goals in both 2024 and 2023.

In 2024, Ittycheria logged nine goals and one assist. Three of those goals came during the Ivy League Tournament, for which he was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

This preseason, Ittycheria was also named to the TopDrawerSoccer Second Team.

Captains
Whitchurch and Jack Hunt were named captains to lead the 2025 squad. Hunt, a midfielder from Coronado, Calif., was a 2024 All-Ivy Honorable Mention. Both captains hail from California, with Whitchurch coming from San Diego.

About the Newcomers
Princeton welcomes seven talented newcomers in the class of 2029 this season in Tyler Vilet, Ben Manfroy, Frederik Sadjak, Jackson Martin, Tyler Austin, Ryker Joutz and Giacomo Gabrielli.

Alongside Martin, who tallied his first career goal, five other freshmen made their collegiate debut in Friday's contest including Vilet, Manfroy, Sadjak, Joutz and Gabrielli.

About Coach Barlow
Head coach Jim Barlow is in his 29th season as the men's soccer head coach and has accumulated 223 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.

Tournament Tales
The 2024 postseason saw Princeton win the Ivy League Tournament, taking down two ranked opponents in #16 Cornell and #12 Penn in just three days to win the title. Ittycheria scored three goals across both games and Jasinski tallied assists on three of Princeton's six goals of the tournament. Ittycheria was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Tournament, while Jasinski and Whitchurch were also named to the All-Tournament Team.

The victory earned Princeton an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, where the Tigers fell to Akron 1-0 in the first round.

Scouting Villanova
Villanova is 2-1-2 on the season, most recently falling to Army on Monday in a 2-0 loss on the road. The Wildcats opened their season with a 5-0 win over Rider on August 22, with the other win a 1-0 victory over Saint Joseph's. Villanova has also tallied two draws with Columbia and Iona.

Sam Nyenka has three goals on the season so far off of four shots total. Fynn Lahrsen has a goal and an assist for three points this season.

Alex Yagudayev and Sebastian Cutler DeJesus have split time in goal, with DeJesus posting a 1-0-1 record and a 0.50 GAA, and Yagudayev posting a 1-1-1 record and a 0.67 GAA.

Princeton is 5-3-0 all time against Villanova, with the series dating back to 1999. The last matchup was a 2-0 Princeton victory at home in 2017.

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Players Mentioned

Tyler Austin

Giuliano Fravolini Whitchurch

Giacomo Gabrielli

Jack Hunt

Daniel Ittycheria

Jack Jasinski

Ryker Joutz

Kevin Kelley

Jackson Martin

Frederik Sadjak

Andrew Samuels

Tyler Vilet

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