Men's water polo counts on sophomore goalie Sabbatini in net

If water polo players wore shoes, Peter Sabbatini would have had some large ones to fill.

With the graduation of John Pharris '02, last year's College Water Polo Association Southern Division MVP, Sabbatini was thrust into the starting goalie position this year.

"We've been fortunate to have a great string of goalies here," coach Luis Nicolao said. "Peter's joined that line this year."

Luckily for the water polo team, Sabbatini is far more experienced than the average sophomore. A member of the national youth and junior water polo teams since 1999, Sabbatini has fared well against world-class competition. In the summer of 2000, he was named Most Valuable Goalie at the Pan-American Games after leading the U.S. team to a championship.

"I'd played with him, and knew ahead of time he'd be good," senior co-captain and 2-meter Kevin Foster said.

Still, after sitting behind Pharris for the majority of last year and not playing as much as he had hoped to, there was a great deal of pressure when he did get the chance to start.

Based on Sabbatini's play thus far, you wouldn't know it.

"Jon and I worked closely last year, so I felt comfortable stepping in for him this year," Sabbatini said. "The co-captains, Kevin Foster and [senior defense] Rob Urquhart, made my transition to starting goalie easy."

As experienced and skilled as he already was, Sabbatini has focused on the small things this season. "He's a perfectionist in the pool," Nicolao said.

Technique-wise, "he's worked on blocking lob shots," junior defense Dan McKenna said.

For goalies, the mental aspect is often the key to the game. According to Foster, Sabbatini has made dramatic strides in this area. "He's realized you can't get too down," Foster said.

In addition, as the season has progressed, Sabbatini has become more of a leader.

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"The goalie is leader of the defense by position. He's got to direct traffic," Nicolao said. "It takes time to get used to teammates, but Peter has definitely improved on his communication."

Sabbatini's ability to consistently rise to meet the competition has also been impressive.

"He's a big-game goalie," McKenna said.

Perhaps his best game of the season came against Navy in the finals of the CWPA league crossover tournament. He recorded 16 saves to lead the team to a thrilling 9-8 victory.

As an Annapolis native, Sabbatini was especially fired up to face the Midshipmen. After playing for the Navy club team for nine years, Sabbatini's final decision came down to Navy or Princeton.

"There's always a special motivation against Navy," he said. "I'm facing my former coaches, teammates, and friends."

The combination of his preexisting skills and hard work to improve has left his coach thrilled.

"Defense wins games, and he's been critical for us," said Nicolao. "I couldn't ask for more. He's in the top four or five goalies nationally."

This weekend, Sabbatini will have a few more chances to show his big-game prowess. Princeton heads to Providence, Rhode Island for the Eastern Championships as the second seed from the South. The Tigers open against home team Brown, who they beat earlier in the season. Princeton needs three straight victories to take home the title, which would send them to the NCAA Final Four for only the second time in the program's history.

Given the high-level of competition, the Tigers know peak performance is required.

"With success comes increased expectations. We just want to play the best we can play. We don't want a bad taste in our mouths Monday," Nicolao said.

As always, Sabbatini is ready and focused on his task.

"We need to play with intensity. My goal is to play in unison with my teammates and bring out the best in them," Sabbatini said. "I'd like to make it to the Final Four."