The Tigers (14-9 overall, 6-2 Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division) defeated No. 19 Bucknell, George Washington, Iona and Queens. The team’s only loss of the week came at the hands of No. 16 Navy on Oct. 26.
A win over the Midshipmen would have secured the No. 1 seed in the tournament, but Princeton is still on the inside track to the finals this weekend. Given Navy’s superb play of late, it is quite reasonable to expect that, if the Tigers reach the finals, a decisive third matchup with the Midshipmen will be in the cards.
“We played pretty well,” junior utility Eric Vreeland said. “[But] we would have liked to go undefeated.”
Princeton started the break against conference foe Bucknell (14-13, 4-4), just one week after the Bison upset the Tigers 11-6. This time Princeton came better prepared and never trailed during the course of the game. The Tigers jumped out to a 3-2 lead at the end of the first quarter and kept that edge at half, leading 6-5. Keyed by four goals from sophomore center Jeff Cole, Princeton avenged its previous defeat and won 11-9.
There would be no rest for the Tigers, however, as they had two more games the next day against George Washington (7-19, 1-7) and Iona (12-17). Against the Colonials, Princeton started slowly, leading by one after the first quarter. The Tigers turned it on in the second period and went on a six-goal run to stretch their lead to 10-4 by halftime.
With a comfortable cushion, Princeton coasted the rest of the way to a 17-7 blowout. Cole added another two goals, while Vreeland scored four. The goalkeepers, junior Henry Fyfe and sophomore Mike Merlone, combined for 15 saves against the Colonials.
Iona would not be so easy to defeat, requiring an extra period to put down. The Tigers led 3-1 after the first quarter, but the Gaels tied it at four at the half. Both teams scored three times in the third quarter and twice in the fourth to send the game into overtime. Princeton’s talent shined in the extra period, as the Tigers scored the first three goals of overtime en route to a 13-10 victory.
On Sunday, conference rival Navy (15-8, 7-1) came to DeNunzio with the top seed in the Southern Championships at stake. In September, Princeton defeated Navy for the first time in 10 games. Unfortunately for the Tigers, they could not make it two in a row against the Midshipmen.
Princeton fell behind early, trailing 3-1 at the end of the first quarter and 5-1 at the half. Showing impressive heart, the Tigers came out blazing in the second half, scoring four-straight goals to tie the game at five. The Midshipmen struck back, scoring on a five-meter shot at the end of the third period to take a 6-5 lead. Navy won 8-6, securing the first seed in the Princeton-hosted tournament.
Junior driver Douglas Wigley had the only multi-goal game for the Orange and Black, scoring twice in the loss.
“We didn’t come out with as much energy as we could have,” Vreeland said of the team’s effort against Navy. “We came out a little sluggish in the first half. We were probably tired from midterms and all of the other games that weekend.”
The Tigers finished the regular season Wednesday against Queens in a 15-5 beating. Princeton led 3-1 after the first quarter and 8-2 at half. Cole had three goals in the win, adding to his team-leading total of 35.
The Tigers now head into the postseason, which begins with Southerns this weekend. Princeton will play either George Washington or Salem International in its first game. A good showing at Southerns would earn the Tigers a bid to Eastern Championships, which will be held at Navy the weekend of Nov. 22.
If Princeton wins Easterns, it will be extended a bid to the NCAA Championships beginning Dec. 6 at Stanford.
“We’ve had this whole week to train and rest up — we’ve really been focusing on [water] polo,” Vreeland said. “If we keep it up, we have a great chance to win Southerns.”
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