Mixed results on weekend for Princeton

Going into this weekend's action, the men's water polo team (13-6 overall, 5-2 Collegiate Water Polo Association) had reached the most important part of its season. Fresh from a 9-7 loss to No. 10 Navy last Saturday — Princeton's first conference loss of the season — the No. 15 Tigers were looking to bounce back with three crucial conference games against Johns Hopkins, George Washington and a final grudge match against Navy.

"We came into the weekend expecting to win solidly versus Johns Hopkins and George Washington and then to finally beat Navy," freshman utility Mark Zalewski said.

When Princeton returned to campus Sunday night, it had accomplished two of those three things: earning two impressive victories and suffering one all too familiar defeat.

On Saturday morning, with their afternoon showdown with Navy looming ahead, the Tigers opened the weekend against Johns Hopkins, a team that Princeton destroyed, 15-4, earlier this season.

Tied 5-5 at the half, Princeton outscored the Blue Jays 6-1 in the third quarter, effectively taking control of the game. The Tigers then staved off a Johns Hopkins comeback in the fourth quarter, holding on for the 14-12 win.

Sophomore utility Eric Vreeland led the Tigers with five goals, but perhaps more important was the balanced Princeton attack that scored the other seven goals. Each of those seven goals was scored by a different Tiger, a statistic that shows exactly how dangerous this team can be.

"We have great depth this year," Zalewski said. "The first nine people on this team can score in any game, in any situation. It is rare to have that many people to rely on."

On Sunday afternoon the team traveled to George Washington, where they handily beat the Colonials for the second time this season. The Tigers got off to a fast start, building 5-1 and 9-2 leads after the first two quarters, en route to a commanding 17-6 victory. As in the game against Johns Hopkins, Princeton's goals were scored by eight different players, including four by Zalewski and another five from Vreeland.

If those were the only games that the Tigers played this weekend, the two days would have been considered a tremendous success, but the Saturday afternoon matchup versus Navy — undoubtedly the toughest of the Princeton's three opponents — put a damper on the other two wins.

The budding rivalry between the Tigers and Midshipmen — both top-15 teams — started earlier this year in the ECAC semifinals when Navy, after being outplayed by Princeton for three quarters, stole a win from the Tigers' claws. On Oct. 7, with a chance to avenge the loss, Princeton struggled to generate quality scoring opportunities and fell to the Midshipmen for a second time.

"I think it is definitely getting into their heads that they are better than us," Zalewski said of the rivalry. "We should be beating them, all we need to do is play to our potential."

This Saturday was their third and final scheduled meeting of the season and hence the Tigers' last chance to earn the win they so rightfully deserved just a few weeks earlier.

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Perhaps a little fatigued from the Johns Hopkins match, the Tigers were flat out of the gate against Navy, and that was all the Midshipmen needed to get going. At halftime the Tigers were staring at a 5-1 deficit, but the team refused to give up and eventually battled back. Key goals from Zalewski and senior utility Reid Joseph brought Princeton to within one goal late in the second half, but a few late Midshipmen tallies put the game away for good. The 10-8 loss was their second conference loss of the season, but one that they must put behind them.

The team's next game is tonight against Bucknell, its last game before the postseason tournaments.

"Right now we are focused on beating Bucknell, getting through the Southern Championships and getting a good seed for the Eastern Championships," Zalewski said.

You might ask, what if the Tigers cross paths with the Midshipmen in one of those tournaments?

"We'll beat them when it counts," Zalewski said.