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 (Photo by Bill Allen/NJ SportAction) caption:
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Recovered from Injury, Van Beuren Primed to Lead Tiger Men's Soccer
By Bill Alden
For most of last fall, Teddy van Beuren was on the outside looking in for the Princeton University men's soccer team.
Prior to the 2003 season, van Beuren suffered a nasty injury as he broke a bone in his foot and sprained his ankle on a hard tackle in a game during the Tigers' preseason trip to Italy.
The 5'11, 175-pound midfielder threw himself into his injury rehabilitation and did make it back on to the pitch for Princeton when he started in the last five games.
That five-game stint and the grit van Beuren showed in battling back from his injury helped get him chosen as the team's sole captain for the upcoming season.
After leading his teammates through a practice session last week, van Beuren declared that his struggles a year ago will only serve to make him more inspired as he plays in his senior season.
"It is always frustrating being injured and watching" said van Beuren, a native of Spring City, Pa. who was a soccer standout at the Hill School.
"It's really hard to play from the sidelines. I got in last season with the help of the trainers. You come in even more fired up. It feels great to be healthy."
The Tigers will be fired up this Friday when they open their season by playing at Loyola. Last weekend, Princeton prepared for the opener by winning the preseason Mercer Cup tourney by beating The College of New Jersey 4-0 and Mercer County Community College 1-0.
The earnest van Beuren, for his part, relishes the responsibility of serving as the team's captain. "Being a captain automatically puts you more in the spotlight," said the wiry van Beuren, who will be looking to help the Tigers rebound from their disappointing 6-6-3 mark in 2003.
"It's a big responsibility, I take it very seriously. Your play is being examined every time you step on the field. You have to lead by example and make sure that you play at the top of your game. The others will feed off of that."
While he may be designated as the sole captain, van Beuren has plenty of help when it comes to leadership. "It's a group of guys with a lot of natural leadership so it's not just me leading," asserted van Beuren, who played 15 games for Princeton in 2002 and scored a goal.
"I may have a title but we have seniors and upperclassmen who are stepping up. We're all counting on each other to lead and work hard. We've got a chemistry that's already produced a competitiveness that I'm really excited about."
The Tigers group of seniors, which includes Erik White in goal, Doug Hare and Johnny Chavkin on defense, together with Ryan Rich and Arthur Tafolla in the midfield, had some good role models having started their careers by playing on Princeton's 2001 Ivy League championship squad.
"It had unselfishness," said van Beuren, reflecting on the 2001 team. "It had players like Graeme Rein who worked their tail off day in and day out and led by example. That inspired the guys on the field and the practice squad to work hard in every drill and to push each other and to push the boundaries."
Looking ahead to the 2004 campaign, van Buren is hopeful that this year's team can emulate the spirit shown by that championship team.
"First and foremost, the entire team has to have a desire to compete," asserted van Beuren, whose style in the midfield combines savvy passing with a high work rate.
"I think we need to be organized, starting in the back. We're focused on being a team that is more fit, getting up and down the field better on both ends. We've got really high hopes and I think we have the talent to back it up. The guys are ready to compete like crazy. We need to finish our opportunities."
For van Beuren, the upcoming year is all about maximizing opportunity. "Princeton is a place of excellence," said van Beuren, whose excellence extends beyond the soccer field through his involvement in such community activities as Athletes in Action and Service in Style.
"It is bittersweet to have three years down and one to go. I plan to make the most of it every day, every practice, every play, every class."
With that approach, van Beuren should be in the middle of the action as the Tigers look to produce an excellent season.
