MAKING A POINT: Princeton University men’s soccer player Danny Ittycheria, right, celebrates after a goal during a game earlier this season. Last Saturday, sophomore forward Ittycheria scored two goals to help Princeton defeat Columbia 4-0. The Tigers, now 4-4-1 overall and 1-1-1 in the Ivy League, were scheduled to play at Seton Hall on October 10 before returning to Ivy action with a game at Cornell on October 14. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)
By Justin Feil
Danny Ittycheria is less worried about himself and more about the team in his second season with the Princeton University men’s soccer team.
The result allows the second-year forward to have a bigger impact for the Tigers.
Ittycheria scored twice in a game for the second time this season to help Princeton defeat Columbia, 4-0, Saturday in Ivy League play. The win helped Princeton improve to 4-4-1 overall, 1-1-1 in Ivy League play.
“It was a huge win to get our first Ivy League win of the season,” Ittycheria said. “This is much-needed momentum for the next few games to come. It’s a huge confidence booster.
The Tigers hit the road this Saturday to play at Cornell after playing at Seton Hall on October 10. Princeton is looking for consistency as the Tigers have yet to win back-to-back games this season, although they have only lost one in a row. This year.
“We’ve had some great wins like this,” Ittycheria said. “But we suffered some pretty mediocre losses. We’re all especially frustrated with the Dartmouth loss – I think we all want that back. We feel good after a very convincing home victory. But we know we still have a lot to prove. The championship is wide open, but we’re still down, even if it’s only by a point or two. We are still down. We know we still have a lot of work to do. We are not satisfied at all. »
Ittycheria, a 6-foot-2, 170-pound Warren native, led the Tigers’ offense. His seven goals are more than double the total of any other player and he has 15 points. Ittycheria focused a lot on his training this summer. He returned with a better sense of the increased pace of the college game and looked at his role differently.
“During the offseason, I did a lot of work to improve my fitness and stay sharp,” Ittycheria said. “And also mentally, I felt more confident in myself when I arrived. Last year I was really focused on making an impact. Now the mindset has completely changed and I’m trying to make the team win instead of focusing on myself.
He is part of an offensive group that has been productive recently. The unit also scored four goals in a win over Monmouth, and the Tigers showed they could score with a variety of weapons. Nico Nee has two goals and five assists for nine points and Will Francis has six points on three goals. Ian Nunez, who also scored Saturday, has two goals for four points.
“We’re pretty versatile,” Ittycheria said. “We have a lot of different types of players, especially in terms of attack. One of the things that will probably be key for us is our offensive depth. We have fast guys like me, Walker (Gillespie) and other people, and we have players who are more technical and can have a slower pace but are still very good quality like Nico, and other players like that. The versatility up top and the depth to be able to move in and out on offense is going to cause a lot of teams to handle all or one of us, and the key for us is for one of these guys to step up at every match. , whether they are starters or people coming off the bench. It will be huge.
Ittycheria has improved his production since last year, when he played in four games and scored a goal and two assists. He’s playing at another level this year.
“I think with a lot of guys going from college football to college football, there’s a learning curve,” Princeton head coach Jim Barlow said. “It’s so fast, hectic, chaotic and competitive. In many Academy games, the pace of the game is slower. In college, with subs being able to be unlimited and being able to drop in and out of the game, the game never really slows down. It just takes a little time to understand how this affects when to make your runs, the timing of your runs, and how little time you have on the box in these games. He’s done a good job of understanding that and improving the timing of his runs and his ability to get dangerous and make shots. And every time you score, I think your confidence grows and I think he’s really confident right now.
Princeton is also gaining confidence. The Tigers showed some solid moments despite a 3-0 loss to Georgetown in their midweek game preceding the Columbia game. In this game, Princeton hit the crossbar with the first real scoring chance of the game, a potential goal that could have given them early momentum. Coming back like they did to dominate Colombia was a good sign.
“Top to bottom, we were good across the board,” Ittycheria said. “Defensively, we were precise, offensively, we were precise. Scoring four goals in a match is always pretty good.
Three of the goals were scored in the first half. Ittycheria opened the scoring with a fine individual effort, beating two Colombian defenders to create a breakaway chance which he finished. Princeton’s second goal just a minute later started with a creative pass from Whit Gamblin to Walker Gillespie who sent it to Will Francis for a great team goal. Nunez scored a third goal on a Columbia error. Ittycheria attributed the fast start to Princeton’s attitude and approach.
“It was us believing in ourselves and playing to our strengths,” Ittycheria said. “Scoring the first goal quite early in the half only propels us further mentally and also lowers the confidence of the other team. Once we got the first one, it was huge. Additionally, scoring two goals in one minute also helped a lot.
Princeton has the firepower to be able to create chances. The Tigers hope to build on their offensive explosion as the second half of the season progresses.
“We were able to use different ways to get dangerous, and I think when we do that, it starts with the other team having to worry about us being behind them,” Barlow said. “And we are at our best when our attackers are defending very hard and counter-pressing and our transition to defense on the pitch helps us win the ball back in dangerous places, and I think we did a good job in that area .”
On the defensive side of the field, Princeton notched its first shutout of the season. Junior goalkeeper Khamari Hadaway made two saves to achieve the shutout. Hadaway played in half of Princeton’s games a year ago and is another player who has grown considerably since last season.
“He’s really looked very comfortable in goal this year, with his presence and his confidence, and he’s a really talented, athletic, quick goalie,” Barlow said. “This year he looks experienced and he knows when to get off his line. He controls the surface quite well on crosses and rebounds, and he does well as an option to get the ball to his feet and also distribute it from the back. He made some big saves for us. He’s just been solid in almost every game this year.
Princeton was good on both ends of the floor Saturday. Their offense was clicking and their defense made big plays to preserve the shutout.
“I think it was probably the best 90 minutes we played,” Barlow said. “From start to finish we were the most focused we have ever been: disciplined and determined. We had a few
moments at the end of the first half where we were sloppy and Columbia had sort of a breakaway about three minutes into the half and Whit Gamblin made an incredible recovery to catch the guy and save a goal because he had already dribbled past Khamari and he was about to shoot into the open net and Whit made a great play. If that happens and it becomes 3-1 then the dynamic could have changed.
Instead, it’s Princeton that’s riding high in a vital period. Princeton is tied for fifth place with Penn in the Ivy rankings with four points. Only the top four teams will advance to the inaugural Ivy League tournament, which will be held Nov. 10-12 at the top seed’s home court. Seventh-ranked Cornell, two points behind Princeton, is an important matchup for both teams looking to advance.
“It’s a huge week,” Barlow said. “We have a road game against Cornell, which is an incredibly talented team that was picked to win the league and has already beaten the defending national champions, so it will be a huge game this weekend. Seton Hall is also a very important game because after playing such a tough schedule our RPI is still very strong. If we can continue to get some wins against some of these top teams we still have Seton Hall and Fordham on our schedule who all have two of the very high RPIs, if we can get a few wins and continue to get a few championship wins. that could position us well from an RPI standpoint.
Princeton players will juggle midterm exams this week as they prepare for their matches. The Tigers feel better about their game after securing an encouraging victory. Princeton looks to build confidence and a winning streak with four Ivy games remaining and two powerful non-conference foes.
“The whole team is involved from top to bottom,” Ittycheria said. “The leadership and upperclassmen have done a great job creating an environment that encourages everyone to be involved in the process and potentially have a successful season.” This is one of the most encouraging signs. It doesn’t matter if a player plays a lot or is on the bench, we all encourage each other. Guys coming off the bench make a huge difference. And the guys that come out try to do the same and continue to encourage the team and the intensity.
