Women's Water Polo: Princeton falls to Brown in final

Just hours before the United States would have its heart ripped out by Sidney Crosby in the Olympic gold-medal hockey game, the women’s water polo team suffered a similar defeat. No. 17 Princeton (5-2) fell one goal shy of an ECAC Championship, losing to No. 20 Brown (8-1) 10-9 in the finals on Sunday at DeNunzio Pool.

Driver Sarah Glick led Brown with five goals, including two crucial goals in the fourth quarter. After leading for most of the game, the Tigers fell behind, 9-8, with two minutes to go in the game after a shot that bounced off the bar and ricocheted off the head of sophomore goalie Kristen Ward into the goal. The Tigers responded with a six-on-five goal by freshman driver Rachele Gyroffy to tie the game with 45 seconds remaining.

Brown driver Lauren Presant then beat Ward to the post on Brown’s man-advantage play to give the Bears the lead with three seconds remaining. Senior driver and tri-captain Phoebe Champion’s half-court shot missed wide right as time ran out.

Princeton had defeated Brown last weekend in the Princeton Invitational, 13-11, but that game was more decisively in Princeton’s favor than the final tally shows. Princeton led 13-8 with four minutes to go in the game, and Brown was never really in striking distance. On Sunday, the Tigers did not communicate well on defense, which led to several defensive lapses. Princeton also missed several opportunities to stretch the game open and failed to break the back-and-forth trend of the game.

“For some reason, we did not have the same focus or intensity,” head coach Luis Nicolao said. “I wish I had the answer for this. I really thought we would play well today — for some reason, it did not happen.”

The Tigers had earned a spot in the ECAC final by beating Iona and Maryland. On Saturday morning, Princeton squared off against Iona (1-9) in the opening match of the tournament. The Tigers overcame a quick start from Iona to cruise past the Gaels, 13-9. Ward anchored the Princeton defense, recording 14 saves. Five Tigers whipped two goals past the Gaels’ goalie, including two crucial lob shots by junior driver Julie Phillips.

On Saturday night, while most of the world was watching the Olympics, the Tigers demolished top-seeded Maryland (7-3) with a 10-5 victory. Princeton came out fired up and ready to play, jumping out to a 3-0 lead. The Tigers capitalized off Maryland’s 15 turnovers. Three goals off turnovers in the second quarter by freshman driver Brittany Zwirner, junior defender Tanya Wilcox and junior utility Lauren Brunner put the game in the Tigers’ hands.

The Terrapins were overwhelmed by the Tigers’ tight defense all game, only managing to get 14 shots off. The semifinal game was Princeton’s best game of the year. The Tigers converted on crucial opportunities and did not let the lead slip away from them in the second half. Brunner and Champion led the Tigers with three goals apiece, and senior driver and tri-captain Helen Meigs added two more.

“Saturday, our defensive game was outstanding,” said Ward, who finished the weekend with 34 saves. “The girls really made my job easy.”

Had Princeton played as well against Brown as it did against Maryland, the Tigers likely would have celebrated an ECAC championship. Princeton’s poor defense against Brown led to 14 exclusions against it. The Tigers, furthermore, could not stop Brown’s six-on-five attack in the second half, allowing four man-up goals.

“In our game against Maryland, everything was much more fluid and natural,” Brunner said. “Our team defense was by far the best we have played this season, which fed our counter-attack and offense nicely. Unfortunately, we weren’t clicking as well in the Brown game, and that forced us into a tight game that didn’t go our way.”

The ECAC tournament provided an early indication of where the East Coast teams stand in comparison to each other. The Tigers showed they have the capability to beat any team they face. The team chemistry and toughness Princeton demonstrated in this weekend’s games gives the team reason to stay positive.

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“We learned that we can beat anybody but also lose to anybody,” Nicolao said. “I think we learned against Maryland that we can be pretty good but also learned against Brown that we have to come ready to play.”

“There is no doubt that the team has a lot of potential for this season,” Brunner added. “I am excited to take the mistakes we made this weekend as a chance to improve. Unfortunately, sometimes it takes a tough loss like this in order to more clearly see what we need to work on.”

Princeton travels to Bloomington, Ind., to face No. 12 Hartwick in the first round of the Elite Eight Tournament next weekend.

As the Tigers enter the month of madness, look for them to build off a strong start as they enter the hardest stretch of their season.