Women's water polo defeats Harvard and Brown, looks toward playoffs

The Princeton women’s water polo team finished their regular season in the best way possible —trouncing league rivals. They swept both games in a weekend trip to Providence, R.I., defeating the Harvard Crimson and the Brown Bears.

With the Collegiate Water Polo Association championship coming up on Friday, this Princeton team (26-3 overall, 9-1 CWPA) has picked just the right time to get on a roll. They have won their last four games to date, having beaten Michigan and Notre Dame last weekend in addition to the two victories on Saturday.

Against the Harvard Crimson (19-11, 6-3), what started out as a close game turned into a resounding victory for the Tigers. The Crimson, on a 19-game losing streak to the Tigers, finished the first period down just 3-2.

The tide would begin to swing firmly in the Tigers’ favor early on the second. Junior utility Pippa Temple and senior utility Ashley Hatcher would be the catalysts for the Tigers’ run, as they combined for four goals early on to push the lead out to 7-2. The Tigers would continue to tack points on as the Crimson would muster only goal in the period. Thus the team from Cambridge found itself facing a sizable deficit, 10-3, when the first half concluded.

The second half would feature more of the same for the Tigers. The scoreboard grew more online casino lopsided by the end of the third period, with the Tigers overwhelming their foes 13-4. While an improved Crimson defense held the Tigers to just two goals in the final period, it would prove to be too little to save the game.

The game against Brown had a similar flow to the victory over Harvard. The hosting Brown Bears (18-16, 4-5) went into the game against Princeton following a thrilling victory versus George Washington University. However, just like Harvard, this team could not keep up through the entire game. The Bears also kept this one close early on, finishing the first period tied with the Tigers 1-1. Princeton only widened the gap from there, finishing the first half up 4-2 and then blowing the game even more open to the tune of 8-3. The Tigers shut the bears down completely in the fourth period, allowing no goals and scoring one of their on to make the final score 9-3.

With this pair of solid wins behind them, the Tigers can focus on the next big goal: winning the CWPA Championship tournament and qualifying for a spot at NCAAs. They may well have to go through the Indiana University Hoosiers, who like the Tigers have dominated through league play so far. The Tigers" season came to an end at the hands of the Hoosiers in the final round of the CWPA Championship tournament last year —a chance for revenge could soon be upon them.