Men's Water Polo: After a month away, Princeton returns to DeNunzio

Last weekend the Tigers went 2-1, dropping a game to the then-unranked Bison but finishing strong with wins over Johns Hopkins and Mercyhurst. Senior utility Brendan Colgan led the way last weekend with 10 goals and is tied for second with junior utility Mark Zalewski for goals scored this season with 23. Sophomore center Jeff Cole leads the Tiger offense with 26 goals, while junior utility Eric Vreeland leads in assists with 18.

Last week was a wake-up call for the Tigers that they need to play with intensity if they want to earn a bid into the NCAA tournament.

“We have to come ready to play this weekend,” sophomore goalie Mike Merlone said. “Our main focus is to win all the games this weekend, which will make us the top team in the Southern Division.”

Having dropped three spots in the national rankings after its loss to Bucknell, Princeton will have an opportunity to settle the score as the team faces the Bison (13-11, 4-3) on Friday at 7 p.m. In last week’s matchup, the Tigers came out cold and failed to play with the intensity they had shown in the SoCal Tournament. During a sluggish first period, Princeton allowed the Bison to get ahead and trailed for the remainder of the game. With a week to work on those mistakes, however, Princeton will come into this weekend with a different mindset.

“We know we have the potential to win every game this weekend … we just need to focus on coming out hard and being patient with our shots,” Merlone said.

The Tigers will then face George Washington (7-17, 1-6) on Saturday afternoon. In their last meeting, the Colonials took advantage of their home pool’s shallowness and kept the game close against the Tigers. George Washington could not come out with the win, however, due to great play between the pipes from Merlone, who had 14 saves. Princeton will now have the benefit of home-pool advantage, though, and the Tigers are looking to come out with a big win against the Colonials.

Princeton will then take on Iona (7-17) in a non-conference contest Saturday at 8 p.m. The Tigers came out strong against the Gaels earlier this season, taking the lead in the first and never looking back. A 12-save performance by Merlone, aided by a hat trick from junior driver Doug Wigley, sealed the deal for Princeton.

The final contest of the weekend — and the regular season — will be Sunday at 3 p.m. against No. 16 Navy (14-7, 6-1), Princeton’s rival in the East. After a huge 7-3 win early in the season, Princeton will have to rely on strong defense and intensity to take out a strong Midshipmen squad again. Wigley led the Tigers with two goals in their previous matchup, and Merlone came up big with 11 saves.

Princeton has played strongly all season and needs only a strong showing this weekend to establish itself as the team to beat in the East.

“Defensively, we are better or as good as any team out there,” Merlone said. “We just need to come ready to play … especially mentally.”

With a win over Navy, Princeton will claim the top spot in the conference and the top seed at the upcoming Southern Championship. The top finishers at the Southern Championship will be invited to the Eastern Championships, where the winning team will receive a bid into the NCAA tournament.