After a weekend of bumps and bruises, the No. 17 men’s water polo team will have little time to recover before it enters its final weekend of regular-season matches.
Princeton (8-9 overall, 4-2 Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division) travels to the Washington, D.C., area to face George Washington (7-16, 0-4), Johns Hopkins (8-10, 2-4) and No. 13 Navy (11-8, 4-2). This final weekend of play will determine the seeding for the upcoming Southern Championship. The Tigers are currently tied for first in the standings with Bucknell (12-7, 6-2).
“This weekend is our last bit of competition until we start our last tournaments of the year in Southerns and Easterns,” senior left attack and tri-captain Eric Vreeland said. “The most important thing to bring into this weekend is to combine everything we have been working on all year. Since this is the last bit of competition we will get, pretty soon it’s going to be win or go home.”
The Tigers faced George Washington once before this season. Princeton took control of the game early on and established a healthy lead by halftime. Senior left attack Mark Zalewski, who came through with six points in the game, dominated the match, a 15-7 blowout for Princeton. It was the most single-game scoring by a Tiger this season.
The Colonials are led by attack John-Claude Wright, who has netted a total of 55 goals this season, while the rest of the team has a combined 126 goals. George Washington is currently attempting to break a four-game losing streak that started earlier this month.
Princeton will have to be wary of the George Washington pool, which is a dive pool with an extremely shallow end. This setup forces the goalie to essentially stand while playing on the shallow side of the pool. While the Colonials play on this pool every day, Princeton practices in a pool that is deep on both sides.
Later Saturday, Princeton will face Johns Hopkins, a team that is coming off a 1-3 finish at the Claremont Convergence. Princeton faced the Blue Jays at the beginning of the regular season, with the Tigers grabbing an 11-5 win. Johns Hopkins has shown strength this season though, with victories against George Washington, No. 18 Bucknell and Brown.
The most important game of the weekend will be against Navy, as the Midshipmen will likely be the greatest barrier for Princeton heading into Southerns and then Easterns. The Tigers have split their pair of matches against Navy this season, but the most important games are yet to come.
Navy finished 10th at the UCI invitational, facing Redlands, the last-place finisher in the tournament, early on and picking up a win against UC Davis. Princeton finished 15th in the tournament. The Tigers had a tougher opening schedule and had their opportunity against Pacific, but dropped a close, two-point game.
“The competition in California was incredible because of the amount of training and the level of competition that those teams face,” Vreeland said. “Even though the results on paper weren’t what we would like to see, the team as a whole learned a lot, and when you go out and lose to the teams that we did, well, it’s just good to every once in a while be put in your place, and it was a humbling experience that we learned a lot from.”
Navy went 2-4 in its last six games, but most of these matchups were against nationally ranked opponents. In Princeton’s last matchup against Navy, junior goalkeeper Mike Merlone shut down the Midshipmen, and the Tigers’ defense held Navy to only three points in the contest, the lowest total of the season for the Midshipmen.
“Navy is always what we’re focusing on, and in the last few years it has always come down to us and them, with Navy coming out on top,” Vreeland said. “We have what it takes to beat them. We just need to bring everything together, execute in that match and just play our best when it counts or else our entire season was for nothing.”
Last year at the Eastern Championship, Navy came from behind in the second half to beat Princeton, giving the Midshipmen the last of four spots in the NCAA Championship.
“We have that picture of them celebrating after winning the championship [hanging] in our lockers, and we think about it every day,” Vreeland said. “This year when we get a chance against Navy, we don’t want to let it happen again.”
Read More
No. 7 women’s lacrosse season ends in NCAA quarterfinals against No. 1 UNC
Hayk YengibaryanWith the loss, the career of senior attacker Mackenzie Blake comes to an end. Blake finished her career with a program-best 231 career goals and three first-team All-Ivy selections.
With the loss, the career of senior attacker Mackenzie Blake comes to an end. Blake finished her career with a program-best 231 career goals and three first-team All-Ivy selections.
No. 3 men’s lacrosse season ends in NCAA quarterfinals after 19–18 loss to No. 5 Syracuse
Hayk YengibaryanWith the win, Syracuse advances to the final four for the first time since 2013. For the Tigers, their season ends along with the career of senior standout attacker Coulter Mackesy.
With the win, Syracuse advances to the final four for the first time since 2013. For the Tigers, their season ends along with the career of senior standout attacker Coulter Mackesy.
Preview: No. 3 men’s lacrosse plays No. 5 Syracuse in NCAA quarterfinals
Hayk YengibaryanShould the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.
Should the Tigers beat the Orange, they will advance to the Final Four for the first time since 2022 as they look to win their first national championship since 2001.