W. water polo falls to Brown at Easterns

A late run by Brown tied the game in the final minutes of regulation, and a goal in the second overtime period avenged an 8-6 loss to Princeton earlier this season in the ECAC championship game.

...The loss ends women's water polo's season. The Tigers finish as the ECAC champions with a 24-7 record.

With the win, Brown gets the automatic bid to the final four of the inaugural NCAA Tournament, to be held at Stanford University on May 12-13.

The reigning Eastern Champion Tigers controlled the early part of the game and were ahead, 8-5, entering the fourth period. Princeton was poised to beat Brown for the second time in three matchups this season.

But sparked by the play of Jeane Ward Waller, the Bears went on a 4-1 fourth-period run to tie the game at nine, and force overtime in the championship game.

After the first overtime period, which consists of two three-minute halves, the Tigers and the Bears had each scored one goal. The score was deadlocked again, 10-10, and the teams went into the second overtime — this one being sudden death.

The Tigers controlled the start and had a chance to wrap up the championship. But the Brown defense stopped the charge and gained control of the ball. It would be the Tigers' final possession of the season.

Bears' goalie Keira Heggie made a long pass to Sonia Lamel, who had scored two goals on the afternoon. The cherrypicking Lamel broke ahead of the Tiger defense and threw the ball into the left corner of the goal to give herself a hattrick and the team its first Eastern Championship.

Sophomore Jenny Edwards led the team with four goals in the championship game, while junior Cassie Nichols had six assists and two goals. Sophomore Adele McCarthy-Beauvais contributed two goals. And in her final game for Princeton, senior captain Alina Brown registered two goals.

Princeton reached the final game after turning in victories over Harvard, 11-7, and UMass, 8-7. Princeton had defeated both opponents earlier this season. Both McCarthy-Beauvais and Edwards had three goals, as goalie Jenny Hildebrand had eight saves.

Princeton's win over UMass, a team which the Tigers had defeated earlier in the season, was another two-overtime nailbiter. Senior Katherine Kixmiller scored the game-winning goal for the Tigers with one minute, four seconds remaining in the second overtime period.

Just like Sunday's championship game, the Tigers held the lead late in the fourth period of Saturday's match. But UMass got a goal with 24 seconds remaining in the game on a man-up situation following a Princeton penalty.

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McCarthy-Beauvais led the Tigers with four goals in the victory over UMass. She and Edwards made the First-Team All Tournament for their efforts on the weekend. Nichols was named to the Second Team.

McCarthy-Beauvais and Edwards were joined by Brown's Ward-Waller and Heggie. Brown head coach Todd Clapper was named Coach of the Year, while Heddie was named MVP of the tournament.