It was a wild weekend for the Princeton men’s soccer team at the Ivy League Tournament. The emotions ran from fearing the season could end to the satisfaction of victory. Princeton rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat Cornell in overtime of the semifinal and then rose to the occasion against top-seeded Penn in the Ivy League Tournament final. “We were just minutes away from our season ending against Cornell, so the emotions after that win were pretty crazy,’’ recalled Princeton’s Mercer County Soccer Hall of Fame coach Jim Barlow. “The guys just did not want the season to end and dug down deep to pull out that win. We were a little worried going into Penn less than 48 hours later because our guys were exhausted and could barely move on Saturday, but then on Sunday they came out with a ton of energy and had another great game. The joy the guys felt after the final whistle was incredible and reflected how much effort they put into making the team better. The reward is that they can continue playing together.’’ The Tigers (12-6) continue playing on Thursday when they travel to Ohio to face Akron (11-4-4) in the opening round of the NCAA tournament at 6 p.m. The winner then faces Indiana (10-4-5), who is the 14th seed in the tournament. Cornell and Penn also received NCAA bids. After a pair of losses to Cornell and Army in the regular season, the Tigers were 5-5 and 2-1 in the league and then it all came together as Princeton has won seven of the last eight games. “I think this is one of those groups that has been able to learn from each game, including losses, and stay focused on what is in front of them,’’ said Barlow. “We knew we played really well against Army and didn’t let the loss impact our confidence. After the losses to Cornell and Army we were able to regroup and won some tough games. Each win gave us more confidence and the guys kept pushing the training sessions to improve. It is a really hard working group.’’ This is Princeton’s 12th NCAA appearance and the first since 2021 when this current group of seniors were freshmen. “The seniors have been through all the highs and lows that come with winning, losing, serious injuries and other setbacks,’’ Barlow stated. “Everyone in the program is so happy for the seniors because they have been excellent leaders through good and difficult times’’ Daniel Ittycheria, who was the Ivy Tournament MVP, leads the Tigers with nine goals and 19 points, Jack Jasinski leads in assists with nine and Nico Nee has five goals. But, from one end of the roster to the other this has been a special group that has done the work, learning and growing together every day. “We always say that the best teams are taken over by the players, and this group has done that,’’ Barlow said. “They push each other, they all take responsibility for leadership and preparation, and they seem to love being around each other.’’ After the double overtime against Cornell, despite the exhaustion, it gave the Tigers a confidence boost. “We said before the tournament that all four teams were talented and pretty even,’’ said Barlow. “Part of winning we knew it would come down to belief, and the guys had it.  After winning Cornell, the guys had no doubt that they were good enough to win again.  You could see the confidence in their preparation and body language.’’ Akron is making its 36th trip to the NCAA’s and has gone 10-1-1 in the last 12 games. The only loss was to NCAA-bound Georgetown in the Big East semifinals. The Zips are led by Emil Jaaskelainen with 23 goals and seven assists, Malik Henry leads in assists with nine and Dyson Clapier and Victor Gaulmin each have four goals and eight assists. “Akron has been one of the best teams in the country over the last month,’’ said Barlow. “But we think we have been, too. It should be a really fun game.’’