Midshipmen sail away with win

The Tigers took away two wins from this weekend, but they also learned never to ease up against Navy, a quick team with the power to sail away.

The No. 18 men's water polo team (10-5 overall, 2-3 Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division) registered a 2-1 record this past weekend. After a 9-4 win against non-league opponent Queens (2-16) on Friday night, the team suffered a 13-8 defeat at the hands of league rival No. 13 Navy (11-5 overall, 1-0 CWPA) on Saturday afternoon, Princeton's eighth consecutive loss to the Midshipmen. The Tigers would go on to defeat No. 14 Bucknell (11-3, 3-1 CWPA) 5-4 in the nightcap of the Saturday doubleheader, securing themselves a split for the day of league play.

Princeton started the weekend on a strong note, storming to a 6-1 halftime lead against Queens and never looking back. Seven Tigers scored, while the goalie tandem of senior captain Scott Syverson and sophomore Henry Fyfe combined for eight saves.

That momentum, though, wasn't enough to overcome the Midshipmen. It was the third quarter that truly decided the game against Navy. After a sluggish first quarter, the Tigers shut the Midshipmen out in the second quarter and cut Navy's lead to 5-4. But Navy quickly regained momentum in the second half, which they opened by scoring a well set up shot. Navy then scored two quick goals on breakaways, following a failed six-on-five and a missed shot by Princeton.

On what appeared to be a third consecutive breakaway, freshman driver Matt Hale sprinted back and made one of his three impressive steals. The Midshipmen finally seemed to stall, but on their very next possession, they calmly drove the ball down the pool and scored. The quarter ended with the score 9-5, a margin the Tigers would never erode.

The fourth quarter went back and forth, ending with a score of 13-8. Senior driver Zach Beckmann's five goals and Hale's steals were the highlights for the Tigers. Princeton also cashed in on single goals from junior driver Brendan Colgan, sophomore driver Matt Hudnall and freshman driver Peter Schulam. Syverson made eight saves in playing all four quarters.

Navy was led by junior driver Mike Mulvey, who registered four goals. Sophomore left-hander Kevin Bell and senior driver Aaron Recko added three goals apiece, while senior goalie George Naughton surrendered eight goals on 15 shots.

The Tigers started off rather lethargically against the Midshipmen. In the first quarter, Navy drew blood with a second-chance shot after Princeton failed to clear a shot off the crossbar. The Tigers responded with a goal of their own, as Beckmann scored on a three meter shot. But Navy's precise offensive execution was too quick for Princeton, as the Midshipmen notched two more goals within the next two minutes. The quarter saw only one more Tigers goal, as the Midshipmen took a 5-2 lead into the break. Navy appeared to be a step ahead of Princeton for the entire quarter.

The second quarter proved much better for the Tigers, as the Princeton defense tightened up, shutting down the well-disciplined Midshipmen offense. The Princeton offense also began to show some life, as Beckmann added two more goals on skip shots from center pool to bring the Tigers within one. The Tigers could have added many more, but failed to convert their possessions into points.

"We've gotta stop turning the ball over," head coach Luis Nicolao said.

Princeton regrouped after its second-half collapse against Navy and managed to hold on for a win to end the weekend. Against Bucknell, the Tigers broke a 3-3 halftime tie with third quarter goals from junior utility Alex Edmunds and freshman driver Jeff Cole. Freshman goalie Mike Merlone saved nine of 10 shots in the half, and Princeton won by a score of 5-4. Bucknell has not defeated Princeton in three consecutive games since 1990, and the Tigers narrowly continued their streak after having lost to Bucknell in their last two meetings.

The Tigers head to Southern California this weekend to face Cal Baptist, UC-Irvine, UC-San Diego, Stanford and other opponents to be determined.