Princeton wins ECAC title

The women's water polo team claimed its second straight Eastern College Athletic Conference Championships title over the weekend, getting past Villanova and Wagner on Saturday before defeating Bucknell in the finals.

Drawing on lessons learned during its tour of California, Princeton (14-5) rebounded from losses the week before against No. 2 Stanford and No. 6 Cal to win the ECAC title for the sixth time in eight years.

Sunday's final was both the third time this season that Princeton, ranked 19th, faced Bucknell (19-6) and the third time this season that the Orange and Black triumphed. Unlike the previous encounters, which the Tigers won by a margin of just one goal, this win was settled more decisively, 9-6.

The third quarter proved crucial to the game. Though Princeton raced to a 4-1 lead during the first quarter, the team was shut out by the Bison during the second quarter as Bucknell fought back. The game went into halftime with the Bison trailing by just one goal, 4-3, creating the prospect of yet another close match.

That hope was dashed during the third quarter, with the Tigers scoring three unanswered goals to open up a four-point lead. And while Bucknell outscored Princeton three goals to two in the fourth, they were unable to narrow Princeton's advantage to less than three.

Four Tigers scored twice during the game: junior two-meter Elyse Colgan, sophomore driver Carolina Ardila, freshman two-meter defender Claire Jacobson and junior driver Karina Reyner. For her effort over the weekend, including three goals against Wagner, Colgan was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player.

Princeton reached the championship game at the expense of Villanova (1-9) and Wagner (15-12) on the first day of the tournament. The Wildcats, a team Princeton defeated 14-3 in its first game of the season, fell to the Tigers, 10-6, with four of Princeton's goals coming from Reyner.

In Saturday's second game, the Seahawks, whom the Tigers were facing for the first time this season, opened the scoring to garner a 1-0 lead. Princeton responded by shutting Wagner out for the rest of the half and headed into the locker room with a 6-1 lead.

The Seahawks refused to let the Tigers get away with an easy win, however, and outscored Princeton by one goal in the third quarter to narrow the Tigers' lead to 9-5. Princeton would score just once more in the final stanza, while Wagner added three more to its tally as the Seahawks fought to overcome the deficit. Wagner's rally was not enough, however, and the Tigers held on for a 10-8 win.

Colgan led Princeton in scoring in the semifinal matchup with a three-goal contribution, while senior drivers Megan Donahue and Anne-Lise Maag notched two each.

Sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Kim continued her impressive form, making 26 saves for the Tigers over the weekend, including 12 against the Bison and 10 against the Seahawks.

The tournament's host, Maryland, which handed Princeton its first loss of the season in March, lost to Bucknell in the semifinal round, denying the Tigers their opportunity to avenge their defeat. They will get that chance this weekend, when Princeton returns to College Park on Saturday to face the Terrapins. The Tigers will then travel to George Washington on Sunday, rounding out the team's last weekend of play before the Southern and NCAA Championships.