Rider, Princeton earn spots in NCAAs
Jim Barlow and Charlie Inverso have a long history together, but for the first time as head coaches they are preparing for the NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament at the same time.
After winning the Ivy League title on Saturday, Barlow’s Princeton University side was given a firstround game at Michigan Thursday. On the same day, Inverso’s Rider squad travels to Akron by virtue of winning the MAAC tournament championship Sunday.
It is Rider’s third NCAA appearance in four years, while Princeton is making its first trip since 2010.
Both head coaches are Mercer County products, with Barlow starring for Hightstown and Inverso, a Hamilton native, excelling for Notre Dame. They were together for eight years when Barlow was head coach of the U.S. Under-15 National Team from 200411, and Inverso was his assistant.
“It’s awesome to see Rider in again, especially after the tough start and the injuries they had,” Barlow said. “I’m really happy for Charlie. It’s also great for soccer in this area to have two teams in the tournament. We both have really tough first-round matches, but every game in the tournament is difficult. We’re rooting for them.”
Just as Rider is rooting for Princeton.
“Not only is Jimmy one of my closest friends but he’s a guy that I learned a lot of soccer from,” Inverso said. “I think everybody’s happy for him. How could you not be? He puts so much into what he does, he’s in it for the right reasons. You can’t not be happy.
“I wouldn’t be surprised to see them win a few games,” Inverso said, adding with a laugh, “Why not put some pressure on him?”
Pressure is something Rider has felt for the past month. The Broncs needed to win five straight games to qualify, including Sunday’s 1-0 victory at Quinnipiac in the MAAC championship game.
“This year we struggled at the beginning, but no one quit,” said senior forward Elliott Otmani, the team’s leading point scorer with seven goals and 10 assists. “We tried to keep going, keep working, and eventually things turned around for us and we got the results we were looking for. We didn’t quit, and believe me, we had some tough losses this year.”
Akron (10-6-2), a Final Four team last year, was just 1-2-1 in Mid-American Conference play during the regular season but has gotten hot. The Zips enter the game having won four straight and six of eight. Included in that stretch are wins over then-No. 8 Michigan, then-No. 8 Creighton and No. 12 West Virginia in the Mid-American Conference tournament semifinals. Akron finished 3-3-1 against ranked teams.
“It’s gonna be an exciting game,” said Otmani, one of four Broncs to play in the 2016 NCAA loss to Vermont. “We know it’s a top program in the country. When we get to the NCAAs we want to play against top teams. It’s going be an interesting matchup, it’s going to be exciting, we hope to represent the team well.”
Asked about being the underdog, Otmani said, “We’ve always been the underdog. We’re never the top dog.”
David Egbo is the Zips’ leading scorer with 10 goals and three assists, followed by Diogo Pacheco (5, 2) and Marcel Zajac (5, 7). Pablo DeCastro is the Broncs’ top goal scorer with eight. “The way I would describe Akron would be they’re the Gonzaga of college soccer,” Inverso said. “They wouldn’t be known for being a powerhouse in any other sport but they’re a powerhouse in soccer. They’re like a factory for producing pro players. They’re a high-powered offense and it’s a tough team to play against.” The fact Rider is playing anyone right now is a tribute to turning things around just in time. The pressure it felt for the past five games is no longer on. “Considering where we were three-and-a-half weeks ago, I’d say we’re playing with house money now,” Inverso said. “The biggest thing is we have to not be tense, just go out and play. Just stay true to who we’ve been the last few weeks. That part’s been very good from top to bottom. Even the reserve players are so excited and so into it, they’re up on the sideline and really passionate. That’s been the difference, we’ve been more passionate.” Princeton’s passion may have gotten muted slightly when it learned it was Ivy champs before it took the field for Saturday’s game at Yale. When Columbia was beaten by Cornell, it clinched the crown and the Tigers lost 1-0 (although several regulars were rested). Now, it’s time to re-ignite. “It feels great (being in the tournament) but now it’s time to get back to work and worry about what is in front of us,” Barlow said. “Without knowing too much about them yet, it’s hard to say too much, but we know we will need to play much better than we did on the weekend at Yale. We need to get back to doing the things we were doing a couple of weeks ago — staying rock solid in the back, pressing hard to win the midfield, and being connected and creative in the attack. And restarts are huge — we know how important they are at this time of year.”
Michigan (12-5-2) is coming off a 3-0 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Tournament championship game. The Wolverines were 0-3-1 against ranked teams, including two losses to the Hoosiers. Princeton (10-5-2) won its only game against a ranked team, beating thenNo. 22 Cornell 1-0.
Jack Hallahan leads Michigan with nine goals and seven assists, while Francis Atuahene and Mohammed Zakyi each have six goals and four assists. The Tigers’ leading scorer is Jeremy Colvin with five goals — all game winners — while Sean McSherry, Kevin O’Toole and Gaby Paniagua have four each. Like Princeton, which went 4-0-2 in overtime, the Wolverines are tough in extended games with a 3-1 OT record.
The Tigers are 4-9 in NCAA play, having lost five straight first-round games. Their last tournament victory came when Bob Bradley’s 1993 team went to the Final Four.
Barlow feels his team is capable of ending that downward trend.
“Sure we think we can make a run,” he said. “We’re athletic, good defensively, and have done well in close games throughout the year. And our guys are excited to go to Michigan. We have two players on the team, Bobby Hickson and Bryan Prudil, from Michigan, and I know they’re really excited for this game.”
And despite not having a high school team left in the states, Mercer County is still really excited about soccer thanks to two former hometown high schoolers.