CWPA Southerns next for Princeton

Midterm week may be over, but the men's water polo team still has one major test left. This weekend the No. 15 Tigers will play in the Southern Championships held in Annapolis, Md.

The tournament marks the start of the championship season for the East Coast water polo squads. The top four finishers in the Southern Championship will join the top four teams from the Northern Division in the decisive Eastern Championship tournament from Nov. 11-12.

Of the eight Southern Division teams, Princeton, No. 13 Navy, No. 16 Johns Hopkins and No. 18 Bucknell are clearcut favorites to claim the four spots.

The Tigers will square off against Gannon on Friday night in their first game in round-robin pool play. The two teams met earlier this year in Princeton's home opener, during which Gannon suffered a crushing 15-3 defeat.

Penn State-Behrend will serve as Princeton's next challenge in pool play, a game that will take place Saturday morning. The two teams have not played yet this year, but the Tigers are considered heavy favorites.

Moving on

Should Princeton take both games, it will likely face a much-improved Johns Hopkins squad in the semifinals. The Blue Jays eked out a 15-14 overtime victory over the Tigers two weeks ago in their home pool. Johns Hopkins has built substantial momentum leading up to the Southern tournament and will no doubt pose a significant challenge to Princeton once again.

The Blue Jays boast an 11-game win streak after defeating Bucknell, George Washington and Salem International, as well as many Division-III foes. They also jumped four spots in the national rankings while maintaining their No. 1 Division-III ranking.

The other semifinal will likely be a showdown between Bucknell and Navy, the tournament's top-seeded team. The Bison have had mixed results this season, but they upset the Tigers and have forced overtime play with many other top squads. The Midshipmen have won their last six games and also have the advantage of playing in their home pool.

The Eastern Championship seeding that is determined by the Southern Championships is crucial for Princeton. The top two seeds will not have to play St. Francis, arguably the best team in the East, until later rounds.

Ball control

While they are having a relatively solid season overall, the Tigers have made mistakes in the past that have often caused them to lose games. Surprising losses to Johns Hopkins and Navy two weekends ago, largely a result of mental lapses and turnovers, are the most recent examples.

"We just need to take care of the ball better and cut down on our turnovers," head coach Luis Nicolao aid. "We need to make [our opponents] actually work to score goals."

Despite experiencing some ball-handling frustration, Princeton is well on its way to developing the winning-team chemistry of which the players so often speak. The team has played effectively as a cohesive unit in several past contests. The eight seniors on the team have done an especially good job of keeping morale and motivation high as the end of the season approaches.

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"Midterm week is always rough with guys missing practice and trying to stay healthy. It's nice that class is over and we can just focus on polo this weekend," Nicolao said. "All of the guys are really excited to play polo again and are looking forward to finishing the season strong."