The best scoring opportunity for the Tigers came with just under two minutes remaining in the first half. After a Crimson foul, Princeton was awarded a free kick a few yards outside the penalty box. The Tigers tried to catch Harvard off-guard by lofting the ball into the area, but sophomore goalie Ryan Johnson knocked it out from in front of the goal and scrambled to get it away from the outstretched foot of a Tiger forward.

The shutout was Johnson’s fourth of the year.

“We had four or five good practices this week,” junior Zach Chandis said after the game. “Definitely should have been more than two to nothing. We have been pretty unlucky all year.”

By the end of the game, both teams had become frustrated by failed scoring attempts and a physical game began to turn wild.

In the 64th minute, Chandis—who has developed a reputation for his intense play—was yellow-carded for a sliding tackle that took out the legs of a Princeton player.

Later in the half, senior forward Ladd Fritz was cautioned for a similar infraction. That card came shortly after a play in which a Princeton player ran into Johnson as he picked up a loose ball.

“We knew it was going to be a physical game, [but] all the boys were up for it,” Chandis said.

The Crimson will travel to Rhode Island on Wednesday to take on Providence. The Friars—who are ranked No. 7 in New England—recently tied No. 14 Brown, which beat the Crimson 3-0 last Saturday.