Can't nobody hold 'em down — that's the message Princeton was sending as it progressed through the Inter-Regional Competition held in DeNunzio Pool this past weekend. Tearing through the first three games like a machete through butter, Princeton (16-3 overal) met its match in rival Navy (18-6).
The win-loss pendulum, which has been swinging between these teams for many seasons, favored the Midshipmen on Sunday afternoon, as Navy beat Princeton, 8-6.
Princeton was quick to put some distance between itself and Navy with an early 2-0 lead, not falling into the late-start habit that has been plaguing the team in its most recent games.
The Tigers' initial cohesion was disrupted, however, with a full line substitution which temporarily sidelined the starters, and the Midshipmen surged forward to end the quarter leading 3-2.
Recovering quickly, Princeton locked Navy in a 3-3 tie by halftime. The Tigers began to slip in the second half, allowing the Midshipmen to jump out to an 8-4 lead before gnawing the deficit to within two goals at 8-6 before the final whistle.
Like a master of spin, Princeton hopes to convert the loss to its benefit as it looks forward to Southern Division Championships where the Tigers hope to meet, and beat, Navy again.
"Maybe we can use this loss to our advantage," senior two-meter Dan McKenna said. "We'll kind of be the underdog [at Southerns] and sneak up on them."
The weekend was also an opportunity for the Tigers to showcase their entire bench. Entering the competition as the No. 1 seed, Princeton plowed through Gannon and Penn State-Behrend in early round action.
On Friday, Princeton faced the tournament's No. 8 seed, Gannon, which, despite only being a third-year team, has managed well so far, holding a 13-9 record.
Still, Gannon's efforts were not enough to beat the Tigers. Princeton earned an 8-3 victory fueled by goals from freshmen drivers Chris Kelsch and Nick Seaver as well as from freshman two-meter defenseman Reid Joseph.
Junior Peter Sabbatini stepped out of his usual role as goalie to score his first goal of the season off a four-meter shot.
Saturday morning was a walk in the park for Princeton, as the Tigers defeated the Behrend Lions, 16-2. It was clear that the Lions' nascent water polo program is still struggling to establish itself.
"I think that you have to understand where a team like that is coming from," co-captain D.J. Halliday said. "We didn't play our starters but I think the guys who played did well."
Princeton used this match as a good opportunity to diversify its play and exercise its bench.
"It was a good game to get multiple people in the water," head coach Luis Nicolao said.
The Tigers' freshmen drivers ruled the first quarter, as Victor Wakefield, Seaver, Sean Dryden and Eric Murphy all scored goals.
The second half saw an interesting reversal in positions, with Sabbatini playing the field and senior driver Danny Holligan in goal keeping the Lions scoreless for the last two quarters.
"Danny did awesome in the cage — he was almost a brick wall out there," Halliday said.
The victories allowed Princeton to advance to the semifinals against Johns Hopkins. The Tigers ambushed the Blue Jays with a speedy 6-0 start in the first quarter and kept them scoreless until the final 40 seconds of the second half.
"Their defense couldn't handle our four-by-four offense," freshman driver T.J. Edwards said.
McKenna and Seaver helped seal the victory with two second-half goals each, helping the Tigers advance to the finals against the Midshipmen.
Despite the loss to Navy, Princeton will be ranked No. 2 at the Southern Championships, where the Tigers will seek victory and redemption.
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