No. 2-seed sewn up with win over G.W.

Down by three goals at the beginning of the third quarter, Princeton (15-10 overall, 4-2 Collegiate Water Polo Association) found a second wind and got three fast ones by the Terrapins (20-13, 3-3), tying up the game and giving the Tigers a second chance. The dramatic comeback would only last a moment, however, as the Terrapins using their home-crowd advantage, pulled ahead and never looked back.

Despite the tough loss, the Tigers pulled it together for their season finale, defeating George Washington (7-18, 0-6) the following day with a last- minute, 10-6 win.

Only a week ago, the Princeton squad had defeated the Terrapins in a tight 10-9 decision, slowly adapting to the perimeter-based Maryland offense to pull ahead in the last seconds of the game. But whatever advantage Princeton had devised against the Terrapins one week ago was gone in the first few minutes of play.

“We gave up four goals in the first four minutes … our one on one defense was kind of bad,” sophomore utility Phoebe Champion said. “They came out and put the ball away, and we didn’t play back with the same attitude.”

Maryland continued its agressive play throughout the second quarter, getting ahead of the Tigers 7-3 at one point, one of the largest deficits the Princeton team has encountered all season. Low team morale combined with poor defensive play marked the end of the first half, as the Tigers trailed 8-5.

“No one was brushing the game off, but we weren’t as aggressive as we should have been,” Champion said. “They came out stronger than we expected, and coming into the second half we knew we needed to take care of it.”

Princeton made it interesting early in the third, coming back with three straight goals, but could not overcome determination of the Maryland squad. Princeton’s poor six-on-five play was once again an important factor in the matchup, as the Tigers put away only one of eight man-up opportunities.

The Maryland squad used their aggressive play throughout the fourth, capitalizing on a 10-8 lead early on and limiting the Princeton offense to only one goal in the final frame.

Champion led Princeton in the contest with two goals, while senior goalie Natalie Kim made three saves.

After a tough physical and mental battle against the Terrapins, the Princeton squad faced a different kind of obstacle the following afternoon in its contest against George Washington.

“Three quarters of the pool is shallow, and one of the goal cages is almost six feet out of the water,” Champion said. “They have an advantage since they know how to defend that type of goal.”

Using the bottom of the pool in water polo results in a turnover for all players except the goalie, who can use the bottom of the pool to defend the cage. When one side of the pool is more shallow than the other, the height of the goals must be adjusted to account for the fact that the goalie on the shallow end can use the bottom to jump and make saves, however, while the goalie in the deep end can only use a powerful kick to elevate her body from the water. Only a few collegiate pools have this sort of discrepancy.

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Of all four quarters, the Colonials scored the most goals in the first, when Princeton was defending the six-foot goal. Despite the obstacle, Princeton bounced back in due time, clinching the game with four goals late in the fourth quarter to end the game 10-6.

Sophomore center defender Lauren Sabb had four goals in the contest, followed by three from junior utility Claire Jacobson and two by Champion.

With a win against the Colonials, Princeton finished second in the CWPA Southern division, earning a top seed in the upcoming Southerns championship. The top two teams will then move on to compete in the Easterns tournament. After a season of ups and downs, Princeton must refocus coming to Southerns next week.

“We know what we need to do, and you can only talk about it so much,” Champion said. “Right now, we just need to do it, and get it done.”