Tigers win four, lose to No. 7 UCSD

After reaching the NCAA Final Four last fall, the members of the men's water polo team began their 2005 season last weekend with giant bullseyes on their backs.

But despite the pressure, the Tigers (4-1 overall, 0-0 College Water Polo Association) emerged from the Princeton Invitational — and its rigorous schedule of three games in five days schedule — mostly unscathed, winning four games before dropping the tournament finale to No. 7 nationally-ranked UC San Diego.

Princeton's best performance of the weekend undoubtedly came on Saturday morning against perennial rival St. Francis (2-5).

Though the Tigers were prepared for a tough and physical game, the Terriers' still took control of play and jumped to an early lead. Senior center and co-captain Jamal Motlagh received the worst of the aggression in the second period when a wayward blow sidelined him for the rest of the invitational with what is suspected to be a broken nose.

In spite of the difficulties, however, Princeton's offense drew from a number of its talented shooters to keep the St. Francis game within reach. Still, the Tigers trailed, 8-5, heading into the fourth quarter.

The deficit seemed to galvanize the team, though, as Princeton took control and outscored the Terriers 4-1 in the period to tie the game at 10 and force overtime.

After the first two periods of overtime ended with the score still locked at 10, the game was forced to a sudden-death third overtime. Exhausted, the Tigers pulled through with the help of senior driver John Stover, who scored the game-winner a few minutes into the period.

"They played well, they played hard, and they played aggressive," head coach Luis Nicolao said. "We were able to wear them down in the end."

Tritons too tough

On Sunday against UC San Diego (5-0) — the highest-ranked team at the tournament — Princeton found itself in another close battle. This time, however, they could not complete the comeback.

The Tigers opened the game strong, using consistent play to keep the Tritons within reach as the two teams traded the lead. Junior driver Nick "Maximus" Seaver had a particularly strong game, scoring goals at crucial moments and re-energizing the team and the fans.

"Maxiumus dominates life and wins the crowd," Motlagh said.

Stover also contributed two goals to the tally and won several sprints for the team. Junior utility Reid Joseph picked up a goal, as did a pair of freshmen, driver Brendan Colgan and utility Eric Vreeland. Their strong showing all weekend qualified them for veritable diaper-dandy status and boded well for the continued vitality of the program.

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In spite of Princeton's strong offensive effort, UCSD pulled away in the fourth quarter, closing the game with an 11-9 win.

Easy openers

Earlier in the weekend, the Tigers' foes had proven much weaker than did St. Francis and UCSD.

On Friday night in the season opener, Princeton cruised to its first victory with a 15-3 win over Gannon (0-4). After closing the first period with a 4-1 lead, the Tigers were clearly in control of the game until the end.

"The first game of the year, you never know what to expect," Nicolao said. "We got all 25 field players in, and that was good to see."

After scraping by St. Francis on Saturday morning, Princeton faced off against Fordham (0-4) in the afternoon in a welcome change of pace from the game against the Terriers. The Tigers earned a relatively easy 10-4 victory by keeping the Rams at a safe distance throughout the game.

On Sunday morning, Princeton opened the day with an 8-5 win against George Washington. The Tigers might have won by a larger margin, but the team rested several of its stronger players in preparation for the finale against UCSD.

Overall, the weekend was not the best-case scenario for Princeton, as the Tigers had hoped to upset the Tritons and complete a perfect weekend. The weekend revealed several kinks that need to be straightened out before Collegiate Water Polo Association play begins this weekend.

Still, there were plenty of positives. Sophomore Scott Syverson started in the cage for Princeton throughout the invitational, filling the shoes of graduated All-American Peter Sabbatini '05 with surprising success.

"I love it," Syverson said of starting. "I love big games. I love good teams, good shooters. It was fun. I was more excited than nervous. We have an excellent defense, and it's really an honor."

Beyond the strong play in goal, the clutch 11th-hour plays that earned the Tigers the win against St. Francis and the tenacity and smart play that kept the team close throughout the UCSD game are sure indicators of better things to come.

"It was great to have a really competitive game early in the season so we can judge where we need to go," Syverson said. "We found out what we need to work on, but we did a lot of things right."