Women's Water Polo: Terps topple Tigers in overtime

The Tigers looked to be in control early on, generating several scoring chances. At the end of the first quarter, however, the score was even at two. Maryland notched the only goal of the second quarter and secured a one-goal lead at the half.

“We had some chances early on to get the lead, and we didn’t capitalize,” head coach Luis Nicolao said. “We had some breaks go against us. You have got to take advantage of the situations, and we didn’t early in the game.”

Maryland came out strong after halftime, taking a quick 4-2 lead. The Orange and Black worked its way back into the game, tying it up at five before giving up a cheap goal after a controversial five-meter penalty to fall back to 6-5 at the end of the quarter.

In the fourth, freshman center defender Audrey Zak and junior utility Helen Meigs stepped up in a huge way, keeping the Tigers in the game until the end. Meigs, who leads the team in both assists and shooting percentage, tied the school record for assists in a single game, notching seven in the contest. She found Zak with a window from about eight meters, and Zak launched a laser between the outstretched arms of Terrapin goalkeeper Ashleigh Jobson for the first of her two goals.

Far and away the most exciting moment of the match came a few minutes later. Princeton was trailing 9-8 and recorded a defensive stop with less than a minute left. Knowing they had to score, the Tigers advanced the ball and worked the 35-second shot clock. A combination of fouls and solid defense left the Tigers with five seconds left on the shot clock and the ball in the hands of junior utility Phoebe Champion.

Champion, from Jobson’s right side, held the ball, looking for an opportunity. Though she tried to hold back, Jobson fell for Champion’s hesitation and began to sink. In a daring play, Champion lofted a high lob across the face of the goal, just over the outstretched fingers of Jobson, that dropped into the net and evened the score at nine with 27 seconds remaining.

Despite the Tigers’ efforts, the Terrapins would not be deterred. Maryland scored in each of the two three-minute overtime periods while playing stifling defense and holding Princeton scoreless.

Though they were obviously disappointed with the result, the Tigers seem to be starting to peak at the right time in the season. The lack of team cohesion, a cause of turnovers and missed opportunities all season long, seems to be disappearing.

“It was a good game for us to get some confidence back,” Nicolao said. “We know that every game now is a playoff game.”

Princeton now has a two-week break from play to prepare for the Southern Championships. Though the Tigers have lost all four of their games this season to the tournament’s top two seeds — Maryland and Bucknell — the squad has reason to be confident in its play. In the first meeting of the season between Princeton and Maryland, the Terrapins took over in the fourth quarter, pulling ahead and comfortably riding out a late Tiger charge en route to an 11-9 win. This time, the Tigers were ready and played a solid fourth quarter.

“The first time we saw them this season, we were just flat. We had no energy,” Zak explained. “This game, even though we lost, we were fired up, especially in the fourth quarter. Even though it didn’t work out, it was a big improvement.”

The Tigers are aiming high for the remainder of the season, eyeing the Southern Championships as a chance to have their revenge over Bucknell and a potential showdown in the finals with Maryland. If Princeton can finish in the top two at the Southern Championships, it will advance to the Eastern Championships, a qualifying ground for the national tournament. And even without a top-two finish, the Tigers can receive an at-large bid to the Eastern Championships.