Mama, Here Come Those Tigers

2012 might have been the most memorable year in modern Harvard sports history. Most of the memories have been positive, but there have been a few bad ones as well. A lot of these memories have come in the form of defeats at the hands of the Tigers from Princeton.

During the 2012 fall sports season, Crimson teams have fallen to the Tigers on the field, on the ice, and on the court. Whether it’s a 7-0 blowout in field hockey, or a miraculous comeback in the final frame of a football game, Princeton has somehow found a way to edge out Harvard in almost every contest this fall.

Oct. 20th marked the dawn of the Harvard-Princeton feud this school year. In a single night, football, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and field hockey all fell to the Tigers, perhaps initiating a string of bad juju for Harvard in Princeton contests this season.

Arguably the most gut wrenching loss occurred at Princeton Stadium. The Crimson football team had been thus far undefeated and was a favorite to win the Ivy League. The Harvard defeat was unanticipated, especially after the Crimson headed into halftime with a 20-0 lead. In the second frame, the Tigers answered two Harvard touchdowns with a total of 29 points of their own, with Princeton backup quarterback Quinn Epperly throwing a 36-yard touchdown with 13 ticks left on the clock. The final score read 39-34. The Tigers curse, which has plagued the Crimson since Doug Davis hit that buzzer beater two years ago, was here to stay.

Both Crimson soccer teams had tough bouts against Princeton, with the women falling 3-1 and the men suffering a 2-1 loss in double-overtime. The men’s match saw two late goals after a stalemate in the first 83 minutes, with Harvard and the Tigers heading into overtime, 1-1. The final goal came from Princeton forward Alex Wetermann and forced yet another loss for the Crimson on Oct. 20th.

So far the New Year has not been promising for the Crimson either, with the men’s ice hockey team falling to the Tigers 3-2 in overtime on Jan. 4th. The women’s team will face off against Princeton this Friday at 7pm. With its only loss occurring back in November against BU, No. 4 Harvard looks to finally declaw the dreaded Tigers.