Entering the Collegiate Water Polo Association's Southern Division Championships as the second seed, women's water polo hoped at the very least to have a shot to pull an upset in the final.
To the Tigers' great disapointment, they wouldn't even make it that far. Princeton (21-5) was upset Saturday, 7-4, in the semifinals by third-seeded and 15th-ranked Indiana (24-8).
Before the tournament, senior two-meter defender and co-captain Jenny Edwards said, "This weekend we will be focusing on our team defense. It's essential to beating Indiana."
Defense would indeed decide the semifinal — but it was the Hoosiers, not the Tigers, who shut down their opponents.
Sophomore goalie Jessica Goldner had 14 blocks for the game, using everything from her arms, to her fingertips, to her head to stop the ball.
Although Edwards had an impressive four goals, they were the only four goals the Tigers would score for the game. The defense provided by Indiana was enough to limit the Tigers' top scorer, senior co-captain two meter Adele McCarthy-Beauvais, to just one shot the entire game.
"They knew where our weakness is," sophomore two-meter Kathryn Parolin said. "They took out our key players with double-teams.
With their leading-scorer effectively taken out of the game, the rest of the Tigers failed to step-up and fill the scoring void. Most detrimentally, Princeton failed to take advantage of scoring chances.
"We didn't score on man-up and that really hurt us. That's where we can put the game away," Parolin said. "We had 7 or 8 opportunities and didn't score on any of them."
Pistons pumping
Meanwhile, as the Tiger offsense stalled, the Hoosier attack was working on all cylinders. The Hoosiers' seven goals came from six different players. The loss crushed Princeton's high hopes for the tournament. Not only did it prevent Princeton from coming away with the CWPA Southern Division Championship, it also means a lower seeding at the Eastern Championships and a lower ranking in the nation. The loss also snapped the Tigers' 11-game winning streak.
The top five teams from the Southern Division and the top five teams from the Northern Division along with two at-large selections will meet in Cambridge, Mass. To play at Easterns. The winner of Easterns will then go on to play on May 10 at the University of California-San Diego in La Jolla, Calif., for the NCAA Final Four.
On Friday, the Tigers defeated Penn State-Behrend (5-15) and Gannon University (13-5) to win its preliminary bracket and reach the semifinals.
In the Tigers' first game against Penn State-Behrend, Princeton jumped to an early lead. In the first quarter, senior defender Melinda Martin had a hat trick and McCarthy-Beauvais scored two goals to help propel Princeton to an 8-0 lead after the first seven minutes. McCarthy-Beauvais eventually ended up with three goals, and Martin added a team-high three steals to her three goals, en route to the eventual 11-3 victory.
Gannon didn't roll over quite as quickly, but the Golden Knights made up for it in terms of margin of victory with a final score of 19-5.
McCarthy-Beauvais had five goals and four assists while junior defender Megan Donahue had four steals in the crushing of Gannon.
Small consolation
After the loss to Indiana, Princeton rebounded in Sunday's consolation game against fourth-seeded George Washington (14-9). After a slow start for both teams, the Tigers outscored the Colonials 7-1 in the second half, en route to a 9-2 victory.
Edwards continued her strong play, scoring five goals in the game, and sophomore goalie Madeline McCarthy chipped in with 12 saves.
Although the loss to Indiana ended the Tigers shot at the Southern Championship, it did not spell the end for Princeton's attempts at Easterns and the Final Four.
On the positive side, the loss to the Hoosiers should provide extra motivation for the Tigers in the case of a likely rematch at Easterns. Moreover, it may provide insight into how to beat the Hoosiers next time.
"We know now what we have to work on when we play them again," sophomore driver Julia Miller said. "We definitely feel we can beat them."
Read More
Preview: No. 3 men’s lacrosse plays No. 5 Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals
Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Six for six: men’s and women’s track and field both complete triple crown
Luke StocklessMen’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Men’s and women’s track and field each won the Ivy League title this past weekend, capping off a dominant season in which both teams won the triple crown — a feat not seen in 14 years.
Nation’s No. 2 miler Mena Scatchard ’25 to transfer to Stanford for graduate year
Luke StocklessThe Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.
The Tigers’ most decorated distance runner ever has decided to use her final year of eligibility at Stanford after graduating from Princeton this May.