By: centraljersey.com
If the Princeton University men’s soccer team was getting a big head from being ranked in two preseason polls, a 2-0 scrimmage loss to Towson on Friday took care of it.
"We did not play well in the scrimmage at all," said PU’s Jim Barlow, who begins his 15th year as head coach. "It was a much-needed wake-up call for our guys. The first two days, maybe because we made the (NCAA) tournament last year, they thought they were going to come in and just be good. We weren’t fighting for it like we were fighting for it at the end of last year."
The Tigers got hot at the perfect time in 2009. They were unbeaten in seven straight games to earn an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament, where they lost, 1-0, to Bucknell in the first round. They were one of four Ivy League teams to reach the NCAAs last season.
"We want to win the league," Barlow said. "The Ivy League is as strong as it’s been in a long time. We haven’t won it in a while. We beat the team that won it last year. Then we did have an empty feeling at the end of last season. We think we could have gone far in that tournament."
The Tigers, who open their year at Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday, are expected to have the firepower to return to the NCAAs and contend for an Ivy crown. Their two big losses to graduation came in the midfield, with Ben Harms and Devin Muntz.
"Right now," Barlow said, "the biggest question mark is putting our midfielder together. Losing Devin Muntz and Ben Harms in the midfield was big. For four years, they kept our team connected. They were good on the ball and good defensively. They were the engine.
"We do have a solid group in the back and a couple of forwards. The biggest inexperience is in the midfield. We’re trying to figure out who will play where and take care of which responsibilities."
With a lot of familiar faces back, however, it shouldn’t take as long to pull it all together.
"We do have a pretty good sense of who can take care of what responsibilities," Barlow said. "At the same time, different players make progress every year and find their form at different times. We’re trying to put the pieces together. We have our starting goalie and all four of our backs returning from last year and our two starting forwards. At the same time, we’re trying to look at the freshmen and what they add to us. So far, all six have had good camps and they’ll contribute."
The incoming freshmen can at least add depth to the Tigers, who have already seen some opportunities to play opened by injuries.
"We had five key guys come into camp with injuries they picked up over the summer," Barlow said. "I think all of them will be fine. All of them have started to work out, with the last (Saturday). It’s difficult to have any sort of consistency. Mark Linnville had a foot injury, Brandon Busch has an injury, Josh Walburn, a first-team All-Ivy right back, had an injury. Max Hare, who came off the bench last year, came in with an injury. Matt Sanner, a starting forward with Antoine (Hoppenot) came in with an injury. That definitely held us back a bit."
The Tigers figure to pick up the pace as all their players return to full strength. Their return to health will make the competition stronger in practice and help Princeton get back to speed.
"Every year, our guys improve as the year goes on," Barlow said. "When you only have a two-week preseason, the first handful of games won’t look pretty. You have to find a way in the first few to grind out games, keep things tight, keep pushing the connections you have. You don’t want to drop games in the process. We’re optimistic it’ll be a good team. As we figure out our lineup, our shape, we want to make sure we can manage the games in a way that helps us get results."
Saturday will be a tough start with a Fairleigh Dickinson team that is primed for revenge. Last year, Princeton knocked them off in the final second.
"I’m sure they’ll come out fired up about that game," Barlow said. "Their best player sat out last year and is back. They have a lot of guys with international experience. It’s a tough game to start the year. But that’s what we want. We want to put our guys to the test right away."
In case the Tigers forgot how tough it is to win games, the scrimmage loss was an eye-opener. And with a stacked Ivy League and solid nonconference schedule, there aren’t any easy games. Especially with the Tigers picked to be among the nation’s top 30 teams.
"With so many guys back, lot of people think we could be a good team," Barlow said. "Maybe reading that press, they don’t have that desperation they had last year to turn things around."
A scrimmage loss helped remind the Princeton men of the urgency and hunger they will need to make 2010 even better than last year.
"It was probably the best thing for us to lose Friday night and not look good in the process," Barlow said. "Both practices the next day were better. It’s not going to just happen because have a lot of the same guys back."

