Women's water polo go 2-1 during the weekend, maintain division lead

With just two more games remaining in the regular season, No. 10 ranked Princeton (24-3 overall, 7-1 Collegiate Water Polo Association)hosted three days of water polo competition at DeNunzio Pool this past weekend. At the end of all the exhausting action, Princeton suffered an anguishing double overtime loss to Indiana University while earning victories over University of Michigan and Notre Dame College. Despite the loss to No. 16 Indiana, a conference rival, Princeton narrowly maintained its No. 1 record in the CWPA.

Princeton entered this weekend well rested following a two-week intermission from play. The Tigers were also the clear team-to-beat, maintaining the No. 1 rank, a six-game win streak and home pool advantage. In fact, this weekend marked the first home games for the Tigers since late February.

Friday’smatchup against Indiana generated the greatest hype over the weekend. The fierce rivalry erupted last year when the Hoosiers managed to deal Princeton a stinging 11-10 loss in the CWPA championships. In a rematch earlier this year, Indiana once again narrowly escaped with a 9-8 victory.

As promised, the matchup between the Hoosiers and the Tigers proved to be tight from the beginning. By the end of regulation, neither team had managed to pull away with a victory, with the game tied at 10-10, causing the game to enter overtime. In the first overtime, the Tigers scored first, thanks to senior utility Camille Hooks. Indiana eventually evened out the score, but freshman utility Emily Smith scored a clutch goal to give the Tigers the lead with just 47 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, the Hoosiers scored two devastating goals with 17 seconds remaining in second overtime before another late, late goal with 16 seconds left in sudden death to capture the game.

DespiteFriday’smarathon, the weekend had just begun for the Tigers.On Saturday, Princeton faced another conference stronghold: No. 15 Michigan. In a game of tight defense, the Tigers got back on track and defeated the Wolverines by a score of 9-7. Neither team obtained dominant leads throughout the match, revealing the close competition, but Princeton was able to finish strong. Junior goalie Ashleigh Johnson recorded an impressive 18 saves while senior utility Jessie Holechek scored three goals.

To round off the weekend, Princeton faced unranked Notre Dame. The struggling Falcons were in the midst of a five game slide heading intoSunday’smatch. Facing Princeton, the odds were not in Notre Dame’s favor. Accordingly, the Tigers opened on a deadly 5-0 run and dominated throughout the game to finish with 10-2 victory.Sunday’svictory epitomized a team effort as seven players on the team netted goals, with sophomore center Morgan Hallock leading with three.

While the weekend may have been more optimal had the Tigers defeated Indiana, Princeton once again demonstrated strong teamwork, resilience and execution. To close out this highly successful regular season, the Tigers will face rivals Harvard and Brown next weekend in Providence, R.I. Princeton has defeated both teams this season. For the ultimate prize, however, Princeton will host the CWPA championships in two weeks, with hopes of putting the capstone victory on this season.