Late Sunday night, the men's varsity water polo team found itself on a red-eye, cross-country flight back to Princeton, only to arrive Monday morning in time for another week of classes. The all-night flight was a fitting end to an intense weekend of water polo in California. The No. 12 Tigers (12-6 overall) faced the daunting task of playing five games in three days against some of the most competitive teams in the nation.
Princeton went 2-3 for the weekend in the five-game test of its endurance. Its wins against California Baptist and No. 9 ranked Loyola Marymount were sandwiched in between losses to UC San Diego, Long Beach State and UCLA.
The victory over Loyola Marymount was by far the Tigers' most impressive performance. Sunday morning, Princeton dominated the Lions, 8-3, avenging last season's loss to them — the Tigers fell to them, 6-5, in the NCAA semifinals last year.
Stover was the dominant offensive force, scoring four goals. On two separate occasions during the game, Princeton scored two goals in consecutive possessions. By the end of the second quarter, the Tigers led Loyola Marymount, 4-1.
Senior goalie Gant Morgner had nine saves during the game, including one on a third-quarter penalty shot.
The Princeton defense was very strong in general during the game against the Lions.
"Our team defense during the last couple games, especially against LMU, was exceptional," freshman utility Eric Vreeland said. "If we play defense like we did against LMU, we will be able to compete with any team."
Motlagh was equally happy with the back line's performance.
"This is the same team defense that got us to the Final Four last year, and it's good to know that it's still there," Motlagh said.
Tough start
On Friday night, the Tigers started their series facing sixth-ranked UC San Diego. After a difficult second period in which Princeton was outscored, 4-0, the Tigers trailed the Tritons, 6-2. This deficit proved impossible to surmount, as Princeton was never able to close in on the UC San Diego lead. Despite three goals by senior driver John Stover and two each by senior center Jamal Motlagh and freshman driver Brendan Colgan, the Tigers fell to the Tritons, 12-7.
Hoping to bounce back from Friday night's disappointment, Princeton went into Saturday's doubleheader optimistic.
In the first game of the day, the Tigers earned an 8-4 victory over Cal Baptist. Colgan, Stover, sophomore utility Zach Beckmann and junior driver Chris Kelsch all scored two goals. Along with sophomore goalkeeper Scott Syverson's six saves, their offensive production made the game a resounding success.
Later that day, Princeton faced eighth-ranked Long Beach State. The Tigers played a strong first half and went into the third quarter only one goal down against a sharpshooting higher-ranked team.
In the third quarter, however, Princeton slipped. By the fourth quarter it was down 8-3. Despite three goals from Stover and two from both Colgan and junior driver Kyle Morgan, the Tigers never managed to come back and fell, 12-7, to the 49ers.
Bruins roar
After topping Loyola Marymount on Sunday morning, the Tigers closed their Calfornia trip against No. 4 UCLA later that afternoon. Despite an early lead with a goal from junior center Nick Seaver, Princeton fell behind in the first quarter and was never able to recover.
The Tigers' defense was again strong against the Bruins, but the offensive plays lacked the precision necessary to score against the powerhouse UCLA squad. The Bruins walked away with a 14-6 win.
"Our front-court defense was strong," Vreeland said. "We just need to take more care in handling the ball."
The team's 2-3 performance in California brings its overall record to 12-6. If nothing else, Princeton learned that it can be competitive against powerful West Coast teams.
"We won two important games and got to play against some of the best teams in college water polo, and that experience is always good to have in order to become better as a team," Syverson said. "The games went really well as a whole, and we're pleased with a lot of things that we did out in California."
"We definitely had shining moments, and these moments helped to show us how great we can be when we work together," Motlagh said.
One element the team hopes to improve in the coming weeks is avoiding giving up the ball. In the game against Long Beach State, the Tigers' strong offensive and defensive play was hampered by 11 turnovers.
"Before our next game we will have to work on our front-court offense so that we don't make costly mistakes and turnovers that lead to goals for the other team," Vreeland said.
The next matchup for the team comes against Bucknell tonight at 7 p.m. in DeNunzio Pool.
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