All foes held under 10 in three straight wins

After a tough one-point loss to Bucknell last weekend, Princeton (15-9 overall, 3-1 Collegiate Water Polo Association) started and finished strong in each of its matchups, holding all opponents to single-digit scores.

Jumping to a quick 2-0 lead Saturday afternoon, the Tigers kept the Bucknell (22-6, 2-1) offense under control, keeping two-meter and counterattack offensive opportunities to a minimum with solid defense. Moving in through the second quarter, however, the Bison picked up the pace, getting past the Princeton defense.

“We came out pretty well, and our team defense was really strong, but we kept making small mistakes that they kept on capitalizing on,” sophomore utility Phoebe Champion said. “They were giving us a good game and were being very aggressive.”

Both teams came out during the third quarter with something to prove, each side moving the ball around the perimeter well and using good awareness to anticipate counterattack opportunities. But a two-goal lead and four goals in the third gave Princeton a 7-4 lead entering the last 15 minutes of play.

“We did a much better job looking to shoot, which is important because that was something we were looking to work on,” Champion said. “We were moving a lot more [in the third] and not forcing the ball into set.”

Bucknell dug deep in the last quarter, moving quickly and earning numerous offensive opportunities, but was unable to overpower the Tiger defense. Senior goalie Natalie Kim stepped up in the final minutes of play and made some critical saves to give Princeton enough for a 7-6 win, breaking the Bison’s eight-game winning streak. Champion, the Tigers’ leading scorer this weekend, finished the game with four goals, while Kim had five saves.

Later that evening, the Princeton squad met a powerful Maryland (17-10, 0-3) squad, with strong perimeter shooters and an established two-meter offense. Kicking the game off with two quick goals, the Princeton offense played well throughout the game, pressuring the Terrapin goalie with constant attacks on goal. After cracking the Tigers’ two-meter defense, however, the Maryland offense started to heat up.

“We’re used to running a defense that’s meant to look back into set, but their setters weren’t really the problem,” Champion said. “We needed to be pressing the outside, since they had such good perimeter shooters. Since we were used to crashing into set so much, they took advantage at the perimeter.”

Tied at five going into the second half, the Tigers failed to adjust their defense to account for perimeter shots, allowing three goals in the third quarter. The Terrapins continued their offensive onslaught during the fourth, building a two-goal lead with five minutes left in regulation.

Princeton then drew a six-on-five opportunity with four minutes to go, and freshman driver Lauren Brunner connected with the net to make the score 9-8 Maryland. After a critical stop by the Princeton defense, the Tigers got the ball to sophomore center defender Lauren Sabb, who tied the game with 1:19 remaining. Thirty-nine seconds later, Princeton gained possession and immediately called a timeout.

With Champion in set, sophomore utility Tanya Wilcox picked the two-meter defender, giving Champion just enough separation to catch and shoot a smooth pass into set from sophomore utility Helen Meigs. The shot connected with back of the net and clinched the second win of the day for the Tigers.

Princeton finished the weekend with a controlling 15-6 win over conference opponent George Washington (7-13, 0-2).

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“The good things were that everyone got a lot of playing time, and more than 50 percent of the team scored,” Champion said. “We gave up a few goals, which was a surprise considering how good our defense has been recently, but overall it was a good game.”

The Tigers hope to extend their three-game winning streak as they travel to Maryland for rematches against the Terrapins and George Washington next weekend. Two wins would allow the Tigers to at least tie for first place in their conference entering the CWPA Southern Championships. The first-place position would then be decided by goal differential.