Women's water polo nabs fourth at CWPA Easterns

After dominating regular season play in the College Water Polo Association's Southern Division and acquitting themselves well against national-caliber competition, the women's water polo entered the CWPA Eastern tournament with high expectations.

But after the Tigers notched a 10-6 first-round victory over Brown, Michigan ran over Princeton (27-9 overall) with five straight first quarter goals en route to an 8-3 semifinal victory. The Tigers then dropped a consolation game to Hartwick, 11-4, giving them a fourth place tournament finish.

Though the performance was a bit disappointing, Princeton's season was not without highlights. Beyond an undefeated showing in Southern Division play, the Tigers beat top-20 teams UC San Diego and Arizona State. Not too shabby for a team with just two seniors, neither of whom played leading roles.

According to head coach Luis Nicolao, Princeton's sucess — in a sport traditionally dominated by West Coast teams — stems from a unique atmosphere.

"We definitely sell the fact that polo at Princeton is a part of life, not a way of life," Nicolao said.

This mindset, though, does not seem to lower the Tigers' skill level. For the second straight year, sophomore utility Elyse Colgan was often unstoppable in the water, scoring a team-leading 82 goals and repeating as the Southern Division's Most Valuable Player.

"Teams go in trying to shut her down," Nicolao said, "but if you pay too much attention to Elyse, other girls score ... with multiple threats, it's harder to defend."

Despite Colgan's clear leadership on the offensive end, Princeton could almost always rely on five or more Tigers to put the ball in the back of the net each game, and over half the squad scored in its final regular season matchup against Maryland.

It was not only Princeton's offensive explosiveness, though, that allowed the Tigers to advance well into the post-season. Solid defense enabled the Tigers to fend off even physically strong teams, including an aggressive Bucknell squad in the Southern title game. Freshman goalie Natalie Kim established herself as a strong presence in the net, earning All-Southern first team honors, along with Colgan, sophomore driver Jazmin Brown and junior driver Megan Donahue.