Black and Orange or Blue and Yellow?
The question as to whose colors will rule the pool this weekend is what will keep men's water polo fans guessing as Princeton (4-0) and Navy face off in what will promise to be the highlight game of this weekend's set of Southern Division games.
The Tigers begin their busy league weekend by travelling to the nation's capital on Friday to take on George Washington. The Colonials (2-3) should not pose too much of a problem for Princeton. The Tigers showed no mercy during their last encounter, completely decimating George Washington, 22-11.
Saturday, Princeton will travel down to the U.S. Naval Academy where they will play the remaining three games of the weekend, beginning with Johns Hopkins (4-4).
Although the Blue Jays will likely pose more of a challenge than the Colonials, the Tigers should still come out with a win. Last year Princeton jumped on them early and held its lead, securing an 18-11 victory. Although Hopkins does have one or two quick and talented players, as a team it lacks the depth required to seriously challenge the Tigers.
But G.W. and Hopkins are small fish in comparison to Navy (7-1). Still, the Tigers are looking at the first two games from a practical standpoint.
"I think the George Washington and the Johns Hopkins games are going to be tuneups for the games against Navy," sophomore John Stover said.
There won't be much anxiety and anticipation over Sunday's game either, as the Tigers meet Bucknell. With a less than intimidating 2-5 record, the Buffalos should only have a chance of winning if Princeton gets cocky.
The marquee match-up
Saturday night is the real showdown — the night when the East Coast's two titans, Princeton and Navy, face off in a match that will test the skill, depth, and experience of both teams.
The outcome of this game, as well as the other games this weekend, will determine seeding for the Southern Divisional Championships. Because of Princeton's strength, the Tigers are likely to get a good seeding regardless of the outcome of the Navy game, but Saturday night there will be much more at stake than just seeding.
"What we really want to do this weekend," Stover said, "is to send a message that we're the team to beat."
Tensions will definitely be running high as the memory of Navy's 9-6 victory over Princeton during the finals of last year's Southern Championships will still be fresh in the Tigers' minds. The 9-6 loss came only a month after Princeton's 9-8 win over the Midshipmen at the College Water Polo Association Southern Division Crossover Tournament.
The parity between these two teams is amazing. With at least 25 guys apiece, both have extremely deep benches and a number of star players. Navy's key players include seniors Joe Donahue and Tim Fox.
"I've played with Donahue since 7th grade," junior Peter Sabbatini said. "He's the guy we need to knock down."
Princeton, whose outstanding players include Sabbatini and Stover, will also look for support from others.
"This weekend I'm really looking to see [sophomore Jamal] Motlagh and [senior Dan] McKenna step up and have some good offensive production," Stover said.
Princeton's edge will come from its preparation and anticipation of the Midshipmen's strategy. This edge is due in part to head coach Luis Nicolao, an Academy graduate and former water polo player for the Mids, and also to Sabbatini, who played on Navy's club team along with a majority of the guys who currently make up the Mids bench.
Navy's strength comes from the team's speed and from its unusual style of play.
"The type of defense they're running is a very active press on the perimeter," Stove said. "We've been trying to beat that in practice."
How well Princeton is able to anticipate Navy's strategy and execute its own is what remains to be seen.
"[Coach Nicolao] knows what kind of offenses and defenses to run," Stover concluded, "but he always tells us that water polo is a pretty simple sport and execution is what wins."
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