Colgan's 10 goals lead Tigers' romp

Up 6-4 in the fourth quarter against Brown, the women's water polo team knew a goal by the Bears could threaten their victory at any moment. After a scoreless five-minute stretch, sophomore utility Elyse Colgan caught a pass in front of the net and slammed it past the goalie for her third score of the game, effectively clinching the win for Princeton.

The Tigers (4-0) defeated Brown (2-2) on Sunday, 8-4, to finish the season-opening Princeton Invitational unblemished. Competing at home in DeNunzio Pool for the first and last time this season, Princeton also picked up three wins Saturday, rolling over Villanova, 11-2; Marist, 10-6; and Harvard, 8-4.

Colgan led the the Tigers' offense all weekend, scoring a total of 10 goals.

Less than a minute after her goal hit the back of the net against Brown, the Tigers stole the ball at mid-pool. As sophomore driver Danielle Carlson used a burst of speed to get past the lone Brown defender, a well-placed pass left the goalie as her only obstacle to the net. Anne Deggelman rushed out to block Carlson's shot attempt and before the defender could get in her way,Carlson launched a lob over Deggelman's head, scoring her second goal of the night.

The Bears would take one more desperation shot, but Princeton earned the victory by a good margin.

Although they found a way to put points on the board when it counted, at the start the Tigers struggled to score. The team was down, 2-0, after just three minutes when Brown scored its second goal of the game on a penalty shot.

"I think early we had opportunities to put shots away, but they weren't going in," senior center Kathryn Parolin said.

By concentrating on its defense, which was anchored by freshman goalie Natalie Kim, Princeton remained composed throughout a scoreless stretch that lasted most of the first period.

"We kind of rely on defense," Parolin said. "It's more important that we shut them down — the goals will come."

Sophomore driver Karina Reyner came to the Tigers' rescue, notching a critical goal to pull the team within one of the Bears at the first break.

Reyner's goal set off a 6-0 Princeton run. In addition to two goals from Colgan in the second period, freshman driver Carolina Ardila scored once, tallying five goals in her first weekend of competition as a Tiger.

Getting revenge

Princeton's most anticipated game, and ultimately its most satisfying win, came on Saturday night against Harvard. the Tigers were looking for revenge since the Crimson knocked Princeton out of the Eastern Championships last season.

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"It was a night game, and we were all fired up," Parolin said. "We played with a lot more energy."

Princeton used balanced scoring to establish a lead, slowly putting Harvard away by outscoring them, 2-1, in each period. Colgan, who led the team in scoring last season, scored three times. Five other players contributed single goals.

In their opener against Villanova, the Tigers jumped to a 3-0 lead en route to a dominating win. Junior driver Megan Donahue was an offensive powerhouse, compiling three goals.

Against Marist, another standout sophomore, center Samantha Shaughnessy, was the key for Princeton, scoring three goals. After a 1-1 stalemate in the first quarter, Princeton built up a 4-2 lead by the half and never looked back.

"The most exciting part — even more than winning four games — was that different people stepped up in different games," Parolin said.

In invitational tournaments like the one this past weekend, multiple substitutions and significant depth are crucial to a team's success. The Tigers' four victories and the performances of the team's freshmen and sophomore players hint that their youth will be a strength, not a hindrance.