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Men's water polo falls to Harvard 8-7 in NWPC Championship

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Casey Conrad and Princeton fell by one goal to Harvard in the NWPC championship.

Photo Courtesy of GoPrincetonTigers.com

Princeton’s men’s water polo team (16–15, 7–3 NWPC) played two strong games at the Northeast Water Polo Conference championship tournament. With last year’s conference win, the Tigers have received five conference titles and were hoping to win back-to-back conference championships for the first time in Princeton history.

After the No. 19 Brown Bears beat Iona College on Friday, Princeton was scheduled to play them on Saturday, Nov. 23. The game remained close throughout the first quarter, which ended 3–3. In the second quarter, the Tigers scored the first three goals and ended the first half with a 6–4 lead. In the second half, the Tigers’ momentum continued to pick up. The Tigers scored six of the first seven goals in the third quarter, and remained ahead by about six goals for the rest of the game. The final score was 16–10. First-year utility Joan Coloma scored four goals, and nine other Princeton players also contributed goals to the win.

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Princeton’s win allowed the team to advance to the championship match against Harvard. Emotions ran high going into the match, as this was the third consecutive NWPC title game between the Tigers and the Crimson. The game remained close until the final buzzer. In the second quarter, the Tigers led 4–2. However, by the end of the first half, Harvard had taken a 5–4 lead after scoring three consecutive goals. The game continued to be a back-and-forth affair. The Tigers were up 7–6 early in the fourth quarter after junior utility Casey Conrad scored. Nevertheless, Harvard came back and scored two more goals. With 2:20 remaining on the clock, Harvard was leading 8–7 and managed to hold off the Tigers for the rest of the game, winning the NWPC Championship. 

Despite the loss, sophomore attacker Keller Maloney and first-year attacker Yurian Quinones once again emerged as leaders, both scoring twice. Sophomore goalie Billy Motherway was an asset on the defensive end, with 14 saves to hold off the Crimson until the last few minutes.

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