Men's water polo wins Southern Championship

"There is do or do not, there is no try," said Yoda of the epic Star Wars series. This Fall Break the Princeton men's water polo team chose to do, winning all six of its games and taking the Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Championships title in typically dramatic fashion.

The score was tied at eight with just a minute and a half left in the finals of the Southern Championships. Archrivals Princeton (22-4) and Navy (20-11) were locked in an intense game with the title on the line. The Tigers took possession of the ball on the Midshipmen's side.

The crowd was on its feet as junior driver Dean Riskas took possession of the ball and approached the net from the right side. After holding the ball for a few seconds, Riskas lofted it from an awkward angle three meters out to give Princeton the 9-8 lead.

"Defense, defense," the crowd began shouting, as it remained standing, anxious to see a Tiger victory.

Thriving under the pressure, junior center Jamal Motlagh ripped another shot past the goalie with 36 seconds left. The fans went nuts, the Navy coach became apoplectic, but the Midshipmen retaliated with a series of quick passes that caught the Tiger defense off guard.

Suddenly, one of the Navy players was alone and closing in on the net, but senior goalie Pete Sabbatini ended the play by taking a 20-second penalty. Navy immediately capitalized on the man-up advantage and took a shot right in front of the cage. The ball was headed in when sophomore utility Reid Joseph surged from out of nowhere to make an amazing save. DeNunzio exploded, but the refs had blown their whistle.

Despite the amazing stop, Joseph drew a foul for using both hands. With seven seconds remaining on the clock, the refs granted the Midshipmen a penalty shot from the four-meter mark, which they convert successfully, narrowing the gap to one, at 10-9. But with less than five seconds left, the men's water polo team was beaming as they took possession of the ball and ran out the clock.

"In literature it is always said that to reach heaven you must pass through hell and to a certain extent this was our game," Motlagh said. "We were playing our worst [at the beginning] and we had to get through it and it was all about mental toughness and slowly getting it done."

The fall break that ended with a win over Navy also began the same way a week ago. The Tigers took on Bucknell (15-13) and Navy last Saturday. Princeton walked away with a pair of 7-4 wins and redemption from the sluggish play that had plagued them the week before.

The two solid wins were crucial to getting the Tigers in the right mindset for championship play.

Southerns began Friday against Mercyhurst (11-7) in which Princeton raced to a quick start and held on for a 15-10 win.

The following morning, the Tigers soundly defeated Grove City College, 11-1. That win ensured the Tigers a berth in Easterns. Princeton then earned a win against Bucknell thanks to sophomore driver Nick Seaver and junior driver John Stover, who combined for seven goals, setting them up for success in the finals the following day against Navy.

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The weekend's conquest was particularly meaningful for the handful of seniors who have now played their last game ever in DeNunzio.

"It's a little depressing to know that the athletic career is almost over," senior driver Spencer Rawles said, "but it's a fantastic way to end it like this, beating Navy, our archrival."

Princeton has the Eastern Championships at Bucknell next, on Nov. 13 and 14.