The Winning Ingredient

Character.

It can build a president, earn a promotion, garner respect.

It can also win a soccer game.

The Princeton men's soccer team has skill and speed. It has a big scorer, an excellent coach and a solid defensive contingent.

But Harvard has character. And that made all the difference in the Crimson's 5-4 overtime win at Ohiri Field Saturday.

Trailing 3-0 with only 20 minutes left to play, the booters were certainly nervous. Nervous about losing for the first time this season. Nervous about being shut out by a team with a feeble 3-4-1 overall record.

But the anxiety didn't show on their faces. And it definitely wasn't evident in their play.

"What impressed me the most," Harvard Coach Mike Getman said, "was that these guys just kept coming back."

A lesser team would have given up, resigned itself to defeat. Not Harvard. It not only kept working, it worked harder.

Shots flew just barely to the right, just barely to the left, or just over the Tiger goal. The Crimson kept on firing, outshooting Princeton 27-12 in the end. An unexpected shot caught Harvard netminder Stephen Hall off guard for Princeton's opening goal. He didn't let it haunt him for the remainder of the game.

A lot of things added to Harvard's frustration. Two Crimson goals were negated--one because time had run out at the end of the first half, the other on an offsides call. The second looked awfully similar to Princeton's fourth goal, which was allowed.

The Tiger defense was unusually physical--almost dirty, according to a few Harvard players. Three yellow cards and a pair of penalties attest to Princeton's rough style. More Crimson booters hit the ground than in any other game this season.

But the players kept picking themselves back up. Four goals in 20 minutes. A remarkable performance, even for an undefeated team ranked fifth in the nation.

Princeton is a young team, with a lot of inexperience. Seven freshmen are listed on the roster, including starting goalie Tom McCabe. The team still has a lot to learn.

"Our inexperience showed through," Princeton Coach Rob Bradley said. "It was a very, very hard lesson."

Saturday's defeat should have taught the Tigers something. Not how to make smart decisions in goal, or how to capitalize on its speed in the midfield, or even how to play like a nationally-ranked team.

Princeton found out that soccer is more than just good passes, tight defense and a speedy midfield. It's also about making the right decisions, having the right attitude and never giving up.

It's about character--and Harvard had plenty Saturday.