Men's water polo heads to wild, wild west

The Princeton men's water polo team (10-1) would like to welcome everybody to the wild, wild West. The Tigers will jet to the Golden State this afternoon for a weekend of games featuring the toughest competition in the nation, including No. 2 Stanford (7-1) and No. 8 U.C. Santa Barbara (10-3).

"It's California love," junior center Jamal Motlagh explained. "Just like Tupac and Dre rolled through California and dominated, we're going to do the same."

These are big claims considering the caliber of competition Princeton will face. But the No. 9 ranked Tigers remain undaunted in their quest, even in spite of last weekend's tough loss to St. Francis. If anything, though, the loss has only fueled their motivation to beat Stanford.

"We basically have a bitter taste in our mouth right now," sophomore driver Victor Wakefield said. "The loss to St. Francis was definitely a bump in the road, but if anything it's going to make us come out stronger on Friday."

Princeton will have to be quick and relentless in their offensive attack in order to keep Stanford from settling in to their groove. The Cardinals have been on fire for the past few games, crushing No. 13 Pacific, 13-3, and narrowly edging No. 1 USC, 9-8. The win over USC will most likely put Stanford back at No. 1 in the next rankings.

Heavy hitters on the Cardinals roster include senior Tony Azavedo, a three-time All American and Olympian, while junior Thomas Hopkins leads the team in goals with 23.

But the Tigers always have a few aces up their sleeves. Not only does Princeton have prolific scorers like junior driver John Stover and sophomore drivers Chris Kelsch and Nick Seaver, it's bench is deep and talented and can support, assist, and even carry the offensive load.

Also back in the pool and in top form is sophomore utility Reid Joseph who was hospitalized two weeks ago due to pancreatitis.

"We're glad that Reid is 100 percent because he's very integral to our offense," Wakefield explained. "He's a real physical force that will craftily punish any two-meter and then go the other way and shoot lights out. He's got a cannon." On the other end, the Tigers will have solid defensive coverage in the cage thanks to senior goalie Pete Sabbatini.

On Saturday the team will play U.C. Santa Barbara in the first round of the Nor Cal Tournament. Princeton has a bit of an insight into the Santa Barbara team thanks to junior utility Jacob Harter. Harter, who lives in the Santa Barbara area, was able to practice with the team over this past summer.

"I think we match up really well with them," Harter said. "I am expecting absolutely, 100 percent to win that game."

"We're going to go in with the mentality that we're not going to be satisfied unless we win," Wakefield said.

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Although the Gauchos have some great offensive firepower, they are somewhat inconsistent in pressuring their opponent. Princeton will have to get an early lead and come through with a four quarters of solid play.

The Tigers' advancement in the tournament is contingent on a victory against Santa Barbara. A win will likely pit them against another top-five team like USC.

Black-and-Orange domination this weekend will demand top performance from the entire team. This weekend, the Tigers will have to convert on man-up opportunities, the weak point in the St. Francis game.

The team is looking forward to heading West for a weekend that holds the opportunity for some sunshine, great water polo and also a brief homecoming for the Californian-heavy squad. Seventeen of the Tigers hail from the Golden State, and good fan representation from family and friends is expected.

"Our team is all about California love," Harter said.