Men’s Water Polo
Diving into a fresh season while riding last ones’s monumental success, the men’s water polo team (3-0) traveled to Annapolis, Md., for the annual Navy Invitational.
Opponents facing the No. 11 Tigers included Cal Lutheran, Iona and Gannon. While the Tigers had only faced Cal Lutheran once prior to the weekend matchup, Princeton had established undefeated records over Iona (22-0) and Gannon (11-0) in the history of the program. Such impressive histories would foreshadow a dominant weekend.
In the season opener against Cal Lutheran, the Tigers did not show any mercy to the Kingsmen, winning by an 18-2 margin. Senior center Thomas Nelson maximized his debut as team co-captain, scoring a career-high six goals.
Repeating its success, Princeton would later defeat Iona by a score of 20-3. The Tigers carried a balanced attack between veterans and rookies alike. Sophomore attacker Jordan Colina led with four goals while freshman goalie Ryan Melosini earned four saves.
To cap the weekend of dominant performances, the Tigers defeated Gannon 15-6on Sunday. Sophomore center Eric Bowen scored four goals, never missing a shot, while Melosini concluded a stellar rookie debut weekend with 12 saves.
Women’s Volleyball
In nearby Washington, D.C., the women’s volleyball team launched their own season opener at the George Washington Tournament. Following a roller coaster of emotions, the team emerged from the tournament with a hard-fought win over Radford but two losses, falling to George Washington and University of California, Davis.
Against George Washington, the Tigers claimed the first set but fell the in the ensuing three. Despite the loss, three of the team’s rookies, middle blocker Nnenna Ibe, setter Claire Nussbaum and right side hitter Brittany Smith made impressive debuts, including Nussbaum’s team-leading 26 assists.
Resilient nonetheless, Princeton won a down-to-the-wire battle over Radford. In a heated fifth round, the Tigers overcame an early 6-0 slip to clinch the first season victory. Unfortunately, the victory was short lived as UC Davis would sweep the Tigerson Saturday.
Looking forward, the team will travel to Long Island this weekend for the Hofstra Tournament.
Field Hockey
While water polo and volleyball embarked on away tournaments, No. 15 field hockey aimed to protect home turf from No. 2 North Carolina and No. 9 Virginia. Unfortunately, the competition proved insurmountable as the Tigers fell 2-5 to the Tar Heels and 3-4 to the Cavaliers, in a devastating overtime loss.
On Friday’sopener, the Tar Heels accumulated an early advantage, scoring four unanswered goals in the first half. Despite the seemingly unstoppable offensive, senior goalie Anya Gersoff rose to the challenge, recording a career-high 14 saves. Unfortunately for the Tigers, the two late goals in the second half proved insufficient against the Tar Heel offense.
On Sunday, the Tigers relied on their penalty corner advantage to develop a 3-2 advantage late in the game, earning goals from junior back Hailey Reeves, junior midfielder/striker Cat Caro and freshman striker Sophia Tornetta. Gersoff continued stellar play, muting Virginia’s 28-15 shot advantage. However, the Cavaliers responded with a clutch finish, scoring a goal with 50 seconds left in regulation and then the game winner in overtime.
Soccer
Holding a home-stand of its own, the women’s soccer team fell to Rutgers and Duquesne this weekend.
Heading intoThursday’sgame against Rutgers, the Tigers had lost four straight to the Knights. Unfortunately, the streak did not end as Rutgers scored three unanswered goals in the second half to extend their undefeated season.
While the Tigers were unable to avenge themselves in their first match against Duquesne, falling 2-3, junior forward Tyler Lussi did make history in becoming the fifth Tiger to score 30 career goals.
On the men’s side, however, the Tigers earned a 2-1 victory over St. John’s. Down 1-0 heading into the second half, sophomore defender/midfielder Nicholas Badalamenti scored in the 71st minute, concluding a streak of misfired Princeton shots. Then, senior midfielder Thomas Sanner scored a clutch goal in the 87thminute to secure the game for the Tigers.
The men’s soccer team will make a trip down to Florida this weekend to face Florida Gulf Coast University and then Florida International.
Read More
Princeton softball stands atop the Ivy League standings after defeating Yale
Dalynn HoltzclawThe Tigers sit two games ahead of second place and are on an eight-game winning streak. Should they finish as the No. 1 seed next weekend, they will host the Ivy League tournament.
The Tigers sit two games ahead of second place and are on an eight-game winning streak. Should they finish as the No. 1 seed next weekend, they will host the Ivy League tournament.
Princeton Men’s golf falls just short in Ivy League Championships
Matthew YiDespite coming close, a tough round three and poor weather conditions led to the Tigers losing to Yale in the men's Ivy League Golf Championships.
Despite coming close, a tough round three and poor weather conditions led to the Tigers losing out to Yale in the men's Ivy League Golf Championships.
On senior night, No. 21 Princeton men’s lacrosse secures a dominant win over No. 12 Penn
Lily PampolinaWith a massive win over a ranked opponent, the Tigers will head to New Haven next week in hopes of sealing their Ivy League tournament berth.
With a massive win over a ranked opponent, the Tigers will head to New Haven next week in hopes of sealing their Ivy League tournament berth.
