Tigers go 3-1 on first road trip

After a brief cameo at DeNunzio Pool — where, two weekends ago during the Princeton Invitational, the Tigers played their first and last home games of the season — the No. 19 women's water polo team (7-1 overall) had a good start to its extended road trip this past weekend.

At the Bucknell Invitational in Lewisburg, Pa., Princeton won three of its four games over the course of two days, with the team's only loss coming at the hands of Hartwick (5-4) in a 12-11 sudden-death overtime thriller. The Tigers outscored their other three opponents — Slippery Rock (1-8), Marist (2-6) and George Washington (3-5) — by a combined score of 35-12.

After starting the season by sweeping four home games, Princeton improved to 5-0 by crushing Slippery Rock, 14-6, in the first game Saturday. Sophomore utility Elyse Colgan scored four times to lead the Tigers, and freshman driver Carolina Ardila chipped in with three goals of her own.

Later that day, though, Princeton found itself in an unfamiliar position, trailing Hartwick, 7-1, in the second quarter.

"We came out really slow in the first quarter," senior goalie Madeline McCarthy said. "We weren't ready to respond to their aggressive offense. In the past, we haven't been able to come back from such big goal differentials."

Making sure to reverse that trend, Colgan — who scored seven goals against Hartwick and 14 on the day — led the Tigers on a furious charge back into the game. By the end of regulation, Princeton had tied the score at nine. Each team scored two goals in the first overtime period, pushing the game into sudden-death overtime where center Megan Dahl-Smith won the game for the Hawks.

Though it was their first loss of the season, the Tigers found reason to be optimistic after the game.

"Everyone was disappointed with losing in sudden-death overtime," McCarthy said, "but Coach [Luis Nicolao] was really proud of how we played. Hartwick is probably the toughest competitor we face in the East this season, and it's exciting to know that both teams are only going to get better."

Against Marist in Saturday's third and final game, Princeton took advantage of its chance to rebound. The Tigers outscored the Red Foxes in every quarter, including a 5-0 second period in which they took control, en route to a 13-2 win. Again, Colgan led the way for Princeton with three goals, but this time her scoring output was matched by another sophomore, center Samantha Shaughnessy.

Sunday afternoon, the Tigers were a model of consistency in their 8-4 win over George Washington, outscoring the Colonials 2-1 in each quarter. Ardila, who finished with seven goals in the tournament, scored three times in the game to lead Princeton.

Colgan bumped her tournament scoring total to 15 with a final goal on Sunday. While her teammates are growing accustomed to her stellar play, this past weekend's performance gave them a new reason to be impressed.

"She actually had a sinus infection all last week and came back," McCarthy revealed. "She's just having a great season. She's really unstoppable on six-on-fives and has a great set shot, too."

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That resilience, which the entire team displayed this weekend, both during its lone defeat and in the two wins following it, will be a key asset for the Tigers as they continue to travel the country searching for more wins against tougher opponents.

Princeton's road trip continues next weekend with the team's annual visit to California. The Tigers will compete in the three-day Gaucho Invitational, hosted by UC-Santa Barbara, which features 24 teams — including the University of Southern California, the defending national champions.