Women's Water Polo: Tigers rebound from loss against No. 11 Hartwick with wins over Harvard and No. 17 Brown

Three weekends into the season, and the No. 20 women’s water polo team has already had three games against No. 17 Brown. Princeton (7-3 overall) outlasted Brown (9-3) 7-5 to take fifth place at the Elite Eight Tournament in Wilmington, Ind., on Sunday.

Princeton rebounded from a loss against Brown last weekend in the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) tournament final in DeNunzio Pool. Despite suffering from a last-second shot a week ago, the Tigers were able to come out early against Brown and build a substantial lead that they would not lose. Junior utility Lauren Brunner led the way for Princeton with two goals, and five other Tigers contributed one goal apiece. The difference for the Tigers this weekend was a vast improvement on their team defense. Head Coach Luis Nicolao commented last week that Princeton was going to work on mental focus and communication during practices.

“This weekend, we played at a higher level at times, and it showed on the defensive end,” Nicolao said following the Brown game.

In the opening round of the tournament, the Tigers faced a fierce opponent in No. 11 Hartwick. Hartwick (15-4) sprinted out to a 4-0 lead after the first quarter of play. The Hawks have eight international players on their team, including goalie Jessie Dorman from Auckland, New Zealand, who stopped 12 of the Tigers’ shots. Though Hartwick scored the game’s first five goals, Princeton fought against the current to pull the game within two before the final buzzer sounded. The 10-8 defeat barred the Tigers from advancing in the tournament to face better competition.

“The first quarter killed us,” Nicolao said. “We got down early and had to fight the whole game to get back into it and just could not.”

The loss to the Hawks gave the Tigers an opportunity to face Princeton’s historic rival Harvard in the consolation bracket. Harvard (9-5) did not have enough to match the intensity of the Tigers. The two teams traded goals early on, but Princeton appeared incapable of losing another game as the team extended its lead to win 12-6, outscoring the Crimson 4-0 in the final quarter. Freshman driver Brittany Zwirner had another outstanding performance, leading Princeton with four goals. Sophomore goalie Kristen Ward — the reigning Southern Defensive Player of the Week — stopped 10 goals against Harvard and 22 on the weekend.

One of the best characteristics of this Princeton team is its depth. Twelve Tigers contributed goals this weekend, and Nicolao usually goes even deeper into his bench. This weekend, junior driver Sarah Hutchison notched five goals in the three games.

So far this season, the Tigers have already faced the majority of their East Coast opponents. Now Princeton will head to California during spring break to play some difficult competition. Seven of the top 10 nationally ranked teams hail from the Golden State, including No. 4 California, which the Tigers will face at the San Diego State University Invitational next weekend.

“The West (best) Coast polo trip is one of the highlights of season,” said Meigs, a San Diego native. “We get to see different teams, different styles of playing and even different refereeing. West Coast polo in general is higher caliber than out east so it’s great to get that experience we can bring back here. ”

Look for the Tigers to return from spring break with a good tan, a few In-N-Out burgers in their bellies and, most importantly, some big wins over tough competition.