Don't mess with the Tigers when they are on the prowl. It was only two weeks ago, on Nov. 2, that the men's water polo team demolished the Southern Division Championships and brought home their third Southern title in the team's seven year history.
The Tigers, with an overall record of 21-3, will travel to the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md. this weekend to try their hand at the Eastern Division Championships. Having won Southerns, the Tigers are seeded in the No. 1 spot and hope to capture a championship title at Easterns as well.
This season may be the one to win it all. Princeton has never seen a water polo team with more wins, suffering only three losses so far to St. Francis, 11-10, University of California-Berkeley, 12-7, and Navy, 8-6.
Unfortunately for their opponents this weekend, the Tigers are riding high off their last few weekend successes.
"Our Southerns championship has given us a definite boost in confidence and morale. Coming off a loss to Navy at home prior to Southerns, the victory allowed us to get our groove back," senior Derrick Wong said.
Second only to Navy at the Inter-Regional Tourney held at Princeton on Oct. 19, and ringing in a No. 1 finish at Southerns by defeating Navy in the final game, 10-7. Easterns is the tournament that many seniors have their hearts set on. At stake is a berth to the NCAA Championships.
"For the entire team, three months of two a day and morning practices. For the seniors, our last shot at bringing home Princeton's first Easterns championship in over a decade. Everything is on the line," Wong said.
The impressive field of competition in the Eastern Division include Queens College, George Washington, Navy, Iona, MIT, St. Francis and Bucknell.
The Tigers' first match of the tournament will be held Saturday, Nov. 15 at 1 p.m. against MIT. If the Tigers push past MIT in the first game, they will move on to a showdown Saturday night against the winner of the Bucknell-St. Francis match-up.
Though the Tigers usually climb over the lower seeds with little trouble, a rematch against St. Francis may cause some anxiety for the Tigers. St. Francis was Princeton's first loss of the season as the team slipped early and never owning the lead to the unexpectedly talented Terrier team. Meeting up again is sure to arouse a new sense of awareness even in the early games of the tournament. "We have been waiting in anticipation for a re match," said Wong.
The round one match between St. Francis and Bucknell favors St. Francis, who has already beaten Bucknell in the regular season 12-5. If both the Tigers and the Terriers move on, Saturday evening's game will be a deciding moment in the Tigers climb to the top. The Terriers have the reputation of playing a little scrappier than most, and have a size advantage over the Tigers, Princeton has spent the week focusing more on "euro-ball," a more physical kind of water polo.
The Tigers have also worked to perfect their play the past two weeks.
"We have looked at all aspects of the game, offensively and defensively, and everything in between," senior goalkeeper Peter Sabbatini said.
In order to leave Easterns with feelings of success, the team will have to "play well with the utmost intensity and focus and, most importantly, as a team and just see how our cards play out," Sabbatini said. "What it comes down to is this weekend, to prove which team has the heart, desire, and passion to lay everything out on the table as a team to win."
In the four battles between Princeton and Navy so far this year, the Tigers have taken three wins. The Midshipmen always put up a fight that demands the highest quality of play from the entire Tiger team.
Upcoming is a weekend of tough competition and high expectations. As senior Dan McKenna said, "The sky is the limit if we play our game. [This Tournament] is what it is all about. I am expecting a championship atmosphere, a lot of hard fought game and excellent performances from Johnny and Peter Sabbatini."
The final match will be held Sunday afternoon. The last time Princeton played at the Naval Academy they successfully took down the home team, and the Tigers look to repeat the victory should they meet Navy in the championship match.
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