If history is any indication, the No. 16 women's water polo team is in great position to win its fourth-consecutive Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Southern Division Championship. In each of its last three seasons, Princeton entered the postseason with fewer than two losses in league play. With only two games left before the Southern Championships on April 21, the Tigers (15-7 overall, 6-0 CWPA) remain undefeated in CWPA play.
Saturday afternoon, the Tigers headed to the Capital region for two games against Southern Division foes Maryland (13-16, 4-2) and George Washington (6-17, 0-4). Freshman utility player Phoebe Champion's seven goals, senior driver Karina Reyner's five and the combined 26 saves of junior goalie Natalie Kim and senior goalie Samantha Shaughnessy led Princeton to two of its most decisive victories of the season. It was Kim's first appearance in weeks, after a stomach ailment sidelined her for most of March.
The Tigers again relied heavily on their wealth of freshman talent, with the rookies accounting for a total of 13 goals in the two games.
"I think that a lot of our freshmen really stepped up, and that's definitely going to help us in three weeks for the Southern Championships," Reyner, the squad's co-captain, said.
Compared to the previous weekend, when the Tigers struggled against No. 1 Stanford and other top West Coast teams, this weekend's level of competition was tame. The first game of the day, against the Terrapins, was the toughest, though Princeton has won its three previous matchups against Maryland this season. This time, the Tigers barreled past the unranked Terrapins, 11-6.
Maryland played its usual hard-nosed, aggressive style, which resulted in several ejections. The Terrapins also kept Kim and Shaughnessy busy with 23 shots on goal. Nevertheless, Princeton climbed to a quick 4-2 lead and gradually expanded that margin for the rest of the game. When the halftime buzzer sounded, it was 7-3 in favor of the visitors.
The second half was much of the same. The Tiger offense, comfortably out in front, added two goals in each of the two final quarters and cruised to the win. In the fourth quarter, Shaughnessy — who usually anchors the Princeton defense — took over in the cage for Kim, who is under the weather.
Champion recorded a hat-trick for Princeton against Maryland, while five Tigers — Reyner, senior utility player Elyse Colgan, sophomore center defender Elizabeth Dilday, freshman center defender Lauren Sabb and freshman utility player Helen Meigs — netted two apiece.
After vanquishing the Terrapins, the Tigers had to hurry south to George Washington's Smith Center Pool for their second match of the afternoon. Princeton appeared as fresh as ever, though, defeating the Colonials, 11-3. The Tigers sailed to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Despite foul trouble and what Reyner categorized as a pool not designed for water polo, Princeton battled to extend its lead to 8-1 by halftime.
Offensively, George Washington struggled to get anything started. The Tigers kept the Colonials pinned against their own net, as the home team only managed 12 shots in the entire contest. What little offense George Washington could muster came mostly from standout Morgan Hooker, who scored twice in a game where she became the Colonials' all-time goals leader, with 166 career goals.
Champion had a career-high four goals, Reyner clocked three and sophomore utility player Claire Jacobson and Sabb each recorded two scores. Kim had six saves in three quarters, while Shaughnessy made three more saves in the final period.
"I think we just need to work a little more on our six-on-five man-up offense, but I think that we're getting a lot better as a team," Reyner said. "We'll just keep working hard and keep playing at the level we played at [last week] in California."
Since the Southern Division consists of only three teams besides Princeton — Bucknell, George Washington and Maryland — Saturday's impressive performance on the road bodes well for the Tigers' chances of locking up the Southern Championship on April 21.
The Eastern Championships the following week, in which Princeton finished third last year, will be a greater challenge.
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