October 24, 2010

Comeback Attempt for Men's Soccer Falls Short at No. 23 Princeton

Senior Alex Chi and the Crimson visit Dartmouth Oct. 30 (Harvard Athletic Communications).

PRINCETON, N.J. --  Scott Prozeller scored a goal in the first half to give the Harvard men's soccer team a 1-0 lead, but it was not enough, as the Crimson fell at No. 23 Princeton by a score of 2-1 Sunday evening at Roberts Stadium. 

Before a nationally televised audience on ESPNU, Harvard goalkeeper Austin Harms made four saves for the Crimson, who falls to 4-5-5 and 1-1-2 in Ivy League play. 

Princeton (9-3-1, 4-0-0 Ivy) earned the game's first scoring chances, as Harms was forced to make a save on a shot by Benjamin Burton in the opening stages and a chance by Antoine Hoppenot rang off the crossbar.  Following a television timeout, Princeton was whistled for the second of back-to-back fouls just outside their box.  Prozeller stepped up for a free kick and ripped a hard shot that bent to the left of goalkeeper Sean Lynch and inside the post, putting Harvard ahead, 1-0, at 27:19.

In the second half, Princeton netted a goal off a free kick knot the game at 53:19.  Teddy Schneider took the free kick, booting a pass from 45 yards out.  Schneider found Josh Walburn at the top of the box, and Walburn headed the ball into the lower left side of the net.  Less than three minutes later, the Tigers moved ahead, 2-1, when Hoppenot tried a bicycle kick. Hoppenot's shot went wide, but Matt Sanner redirected it past Harms at 55:50. 

Harvard's lone shot on goal in the second half came in the 73rd minute when Connor McCarthy headed a shot on target, but Lynch was there to make the stop. Princeton outshot Harvard by a 23-10 margin, including 16-8 in the second half, while the Crimson earned all four of its corner kicks in the final 45 minutes of action.    

The Crimson returns to action at Dartmouth Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.