The men's water polo team added two more notches in the win column this weekend as they traveled to Salem, W.Va. on Saturday. Princeton (6-1 overall) beat both Salem International and George Washington, 13-9 and 9-4, respectively. The wins, both of which came against Collegiate Water Polo Association League foes, were important both in establishing the Tigers' record within the league as well as in preparing the Tigers for the ECAC Championships next weekend.
After a mishap-filled trip highlighted by a bus breakdown, the Princeton team finally made it to the Salem pool on Saturday morning. Although the Tigers were expected to win the match, the margin of victory should have been greater. By the end of the third period, Princeton led by a commanding 10-3 score. In a surprising surge, Salem rallied in the fourth period to outscore the Tigers by three goals, notching six to Princeton's three. The 11th-hour rally was not enough to overcome the huge gap, and Salem fell, 13-9.
Freshman utility Eric Vreeland had a great game, adding three goals to the Tigers' tally. Freshman driver Brendan Colgan and junior driver Nick Seaver also contributed to the victory with a pair of goals each.
Notably absent from the water was senior center Jamal Motlagh, who sustained a nose-breaking blow during last week's game against St. Francis. It is unclear how long he will be sidelined as a result of this injury, and it is possible that surgery will be necessary. Although that particular game was not taped, action will be taken against the St. Francis team for what has been characterized as a trend of overly-aggresive and unsportsmanlike conduct during its games.
Princeton has been able to fill the gap left by Motlagh's temporary departure well, a testament to the Tigers' deep and talented bench. That bench served Princeton well on Saturday afternoon when the team took on George Washington. The two teams had met once before at the Princeton Invitational where the Tigers defended their turf with an 8-5 victory. Princeton beat the Colonials again with much help from Seaver, who led the offensive strike with three goals. Senior driver and co-captain John Stover and sophomore utility Zach Beckmann also added two goals each. Though George Washington stayed close to the Tigers during the first two periods, Princeton pulled away in the third period and outscored the Colonials 4-1, closing the game 9-4.
The weekend's games are a good primer for the ECAC Championships. Princeton will be defending its home pool and also itching to redeem itself from its third place finish last season.
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