Tigers lose in Eastern semis

As the final seconds of the first half expired, freshman goalie Natalie Kim hurled the ball toward Brown's cage. This action came as no surprise — goalies often launch the ball at the end of play in a usually futile attempt to get one last shot on the opposition. But much to everyone on the women's water polo squad's surprise, the Bears' goalie misjudged the powerful shot, and the ball found the back of Brown's net, 25 meters away.

This lucky goal gave the No. 16 Tigers (27-9 overall) the boost they needed to push past the Bears (15-13) in a 10-6 first-round victory this past weekend at the College Water Polo Association's Eastern Championship, held at Counsilman Billingsley Aquatic Center in Bloomington, Ind. Princeton's luck ended there, though, and it later suffered an 8-3 semifinal loss to Michigan (28-12) and then an 11-4 loss to Hartwick (28-9) in the third-place consolation game. With the two losses, the Tigers earned fourth place at the championship — still an improvement from last season's sixth-place finish.

Brown boasted more experience than the relatively young Princeton squad, which includes only two seniors. Playing against one of their Ivy League rivals, the Tigers knew the game was going to be an intense matchup.

Princeton responded well to the pressure and showcased its offensive flexibility, as sophomore driver Karina Reyner notched a hat trick off a 6-5 advantage play, a counterattack and a play in set. As a result of the Tigers' constant pressure, the Bears' early 2-0 lead in the first quarter quickly disappeared. Princeton tied the game at two by the end of the first quarter and then went on to take a three-goal lead by holding Brown scoreless in the second.

The Bears' strongest weapon throughout the season was veteran senior two-meter attack Diana Livermore, who the Tigers were able to hold to just two goals.

"She's usually first-team selection for every tournament," Reyner said. "Usually we have to drop one person on her or put our best defender on her."

Princeton could not control Michigan, a team which the Tigers had not previously played this season. The Wolverines, who went on to win the title game against Indiana, came hard out of the blocks with five tallies in the first two quarters before Princeton could respond.

Michigan's premiere player was its senior goalie, Betsey Armstrong, the tournament MVP. With her presence, the Tigers struggled to find the back of the net. The Wolverines ran a zone offense where "[they] make you shoot the ball from outside," Nicolao said. By guarding against looks from right in front of the net, Michigan limited Princeton's offensive options. Sophomore driver Danielle Carlson recorded all three of the Tigers' goals.

"We were shooting upper corners," Reyner said. "It was either hitting the bar or she [Armstrong] was blocking it."

As the Wolverines extended their lead to 7-2 in the fourth, Princeton's hopes for advancing were extinguished. Disappointed after losing the opportunity to play in the title game, the Tigers lacked intensity going into their final game of the season against No. 14 Hartwick. Princeton and the Hawks previously split a pair of nail-biters this season.

As with the earlier Brown and Michigan games, the Tigers again found themselves behind off the bat. Hartwick tallied two unanswered goals before Princeton could rally.

"We were able to get back, 4-3," Nicolao said, "[then] made a few mistakes mentally."

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These mistakes ultimately cost the Tigers the game, as the Hawks pounded the ball into the goal six times in the third quarter. Princeton's four total goals from sophomore driver Jessica Ajoux, junior driver Anne-Lise Maag, sophomore utility Elyse Colgan and Carlson simply could not stack up.

Because of the two losses, the Tigers will not advance to the NCAA Championship later this month. The weekend was not without reward, however, as Colgan earned an Eastern Championship All-Tournament Team honor. With a team-leading 82 goals on the season, Colgan helped Princeton advance well into the post-season.

The Tigers hope to use the maturity they gained this season to improve next year.

"With the strong nucleus returning, I think we're really excited," Nicolao said.

As a welcome relief to the players exhausted from an intense travel schedule this year, the team will likely host three tournaments next season, as opposed to the single home tournament this year. The Tigers played just four of the total 36 games this season at DeNunzio Pool. Princeton will also gain a handful of recruits next year to complement its predominately upperclassman core.

For now, though, the Tigers are proud of their fourth-place finish.