Tigers rebound to win OT thriller

It took only seconds from the time sophomore utility Gregor Horstmeyer's overtime shot hit the net for the water polo team (7-2 overall, 1-2 Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division) to realize the gravity of the goal.

After battling through a tough 12-11 loss to Johns Hopkins (3-6, 1-1) earlier in the afternoon and fighting four deadlocked quarters against George Washington (5-5, 0-2), the Tigers were finally getting a much needed victory.

With his back to the goal and the shot clock winding down, Hortsmeyer spun underwater and fired a laser past an unsuspecting Colonial goalie. The goal gave Princeton a 12-10 lead, their first two-goal lead of the game, and perhaps more importantly gave Princeton a chance to settle down and relax.

The day started with an afternoon showdown against the Blue Jays, who came out strong against the slow-starting Tigers. Hopkins built a 5-2 lead in the first quarter and stretched that lead to 7-2 before Princeton finally responded.

The Tigers scored the game's next seven goals, and the Princeton defense, which struggled early on, shut out the Blue Jays for nearly 14 minutes. Up 9-7 in the third quarter, a better-conditioned Princeton team continued to dominate play but was unable to score the goals that would have put the game away for good.

"We had a lot of trouble finishing out shots," head coach Luis Nicolao said. "Up two goals in that situation, we were creating great chances, but we got nothing to show for them."

Finding a second wind in the fourth quarter, the Blue Jays battled back, scoring four times in the final frame to seal a 12-11 victory. For the Tigers, it was a tale of three games: an awful start, a phenomenal middle two quarters and an inability to hold a late lead.

Senior utility Zach Beckmann scored three times in the loss, and senior goalie Scott Syverson made eight saves. The Tigers also got two tallies from sophomore utility Mark Zalewski, the only other Tiger with multiple goals. In many ways it was a disaapointing loss for Princeton, but following the game, Nicolao was optimistic.

"The early part of the season is always a learning process," he said. "There's nothing wrong with losing at this point in the season, as long as we learn from the experience. It makes us a better team later in the year."

In the team's second game, against CWPA-rival George Washington, Princeton seemed to have learned from those earlier troubles. Instead of another sluggish start, the Tigers began the game with the intensity of a team hungry for a win.

Once again, however, Princeton had trouble putting away its chances. When the first half ended, the Tigers had dominated play, but held only a slim 5-4 lead. The defense was just as spectacular as it was against Johns Hopkins, but while the offense moved the ball well, it was unable to translate that domination to the scoreboard.

The second half continued much like the first, with the Tigers unable to open a lead of more than one goal. Late in the fourth, George Washington took the lead, but Princeton was quick to respond, getting a breakaway goal from Beckmann to tie the game 8-8.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

With a minute left in the game, the Colonials set up for one last possession, but the Princeton defense came up with yet another big stop. Freshman goalie Mike Merlone made a big save with 30 seconds left, and after a shot-clock reset, the Tigers forced a turnover to push the game into overtime.

In the extra session, the Tigers scored two quick goals, the second of which coming on Hortsmeyer's rocket. The Colonials added a tally late in the second overtime, but playing with its first cushion of the game, the Tigers defense was relentless, sealing the 10-9 victory by inducing a crucial late turnover.

In the second game Princeton got two goals from Hortsmeyer and four more from Beckmann, who leads the team with 28. Sophomore goalie Scott Hvidt made one save in the first half, while Merlone recorded six in the second half and overtime.

Looking back, Nicolao was impressed with the freshmen and the defense, but repeated his frustration with his team's ability to put teams away.

"We need to capitalize on the chances that we get," he said. "This comes with having a young team, but our inability to finish shots turned what should have been two winnable games into dogfights."

As for the resilience shown by the team to bounce back from a tough early loss, Nicolao could not understate how much the victory over George Washington meant to the Tigers.

"This was a huge win for us," he said. "We've had two tough losses in a row, so getting this win was enormous. Winning is a frame of mind, a habit, and we'll take that heading into next weekend."

The team plays Harvard and St. Francis next weekend in the ECAC Championships. If things go according to plan, Princeton may get a chance to avenge its loss to Johns Hopkins.