In a spirited contest between the top two Ivy squads in ranking, Princeton (10-5 overall, 5-0 Ivy) defended home turf with a 2-1 win over then-no. 20 Cornell (10-3-1, 3-2). The Red — though undefeated at home — has lapsed in some performances on the road. That was that case early on in the Ivy clash this past Saturday.
Princeton leaped out to a lead after going a player up in the 26th minute. Cornell sophomore defender Henry Hylbert drew a red card. It was an unfortunate loss for the Red, as Hylbert was the Ivy Rookie of the Week for Oct. 25 after scoring a goal against both Binghamton and Brown. Seconds later, sophomore forward Walker Gillespie broke through the crowd on a corner kick to knock a header into the right corner of the net.
One goal and one player down, the Red carried on and found some opportunities on the counter-attack. In the 30th minute, senior forward Emeka Eneli got forward and found a shooting opportunity with a strike towards the bottom left corner. Princeton senior keeper Jack Roberts was there to reject it. The ball then rebounded to junior midfielder Kurt Lehmkuhl for another shot on goal, but he too was denied.
The Red kept the pressure up until halftime but could not find an equalizer. Princeton extended its advantage in the 55th minute when junior forward Daniel Diaz Bonilla connected for his fourth goal of the season. This enabled the Tigers to sit back and play conservatively against the outnumbered Red for the rest of the game.
After a period of attacking play, junior forward Griffin Garrard found the back of the net for the Red at long last. In the 88th minute, Garrard moved up the field, received a pass from junior defender Connor Drought outside the 18-yard box and ticked it past the keeper into the left side of the goal. Not enough time remained for the Red to have much of a chance to draw even, and the match settled at 2-1 after the full 90 minutes.
The Red will look to bounce back to its winning ways on Saturday when it travels to Hanover, NH on Saturday, Nov. 6 for an important matchup against Dartmouth College (2-10-1 overall, 0-4-1 Ivy).
Dartmouth’s record may not reflect its competitiveness. The team boasts a 2-1-1 home record and took Princeton to double overtime on Oct. 2 before falling 3-2. On paper, the Green is not a significant threat offensively, averaging just 0.69 goals per game.
Freshman midfielder Bern Jenkins has scored twice and leads Dartmouth in shots taken (14) and points (5). The rest of the attack has been split between a variety of players.
Another freshman is likely to man the net for the Big Green — keeper Costi Christodoulou. In his three recent outings against Vermont, Columbia, and Harvard, Christodoulou has conceded just two goals while making seven saves.
The Red average 2.64 goals per game and will need its attackers to play well to come away with a win that is crucial to its NCAA tournament at-large hopes. The match against Dartmouth will take place at 1 p.m. on Saturday.