Women's Water Polo: Tigers top league foes

The women’s water polo team finished its regular season action this weekend by building its five-game win streak heading into postseason play. Princeton beat Maryland 13-4 on Saturday and George Washington 9-7 on Sunday at their respective pools.

The Tigers (17-8 overall, 5-1 Collegiate Water Polo Association) and Terrapins (13-16, 2-4) fought through a close first quarter that finished with the Tigers on top, 2-1. After the ball dropped in the water to start the second quarter, Princeton took the sprint and did not look back. Princeton outscored Maryland 9-1 over the next two periods, putting the Tigers up big with an 11-2 lead after three quarters. They closed out the fourth with two more goals. Senior driver and tri-captain Phoebe Champion, junior utility Lauren Brunner and freshman driver Brittany Zwirner each tallied hat tricks on the day. The strong team defense anchored by sophomore goalie Kristen Ward and junior defender Tanya Wilcox fueled the offensive attack and consistency.

“The Maryland game was a good win because we came out strong from the start and never looked back,” Brunner said. “We knew what to expect and were able to turn great team defense into offensive conversions on the other side of the pool.”

The Tigers carried the energy gained from Saturday’s huge win into their Sunday game at George Washington (7-15, 0-6). A visit to George Washington always concerns head coach Luis Nicolao and indeed any visiting team, as the Colonials’ pool is only four feet deep at one end. As a result, the goalie had to stand on the bottom, while the field players could not use the bottom for their own advantage. This altered game strategies and forced referees to closely monitor the play of each team’s center.

Even with this obstacle, though, the Tigers were able to dispatch the Colonials. Princeton jumped out early in the first two quarters to take a 7-2 lead. Champion once again led the Tigers in scoring, slamming three goals into the George Washington goal. Brunner added a pair of goals herself, and Ward recorded nine saves despite playing half of the game on the deep end of the pool.

The Tigers’ two wins brought them into a tie for first in the CWPA Southern Division standings. They trail Bucknell only on goal differential. The Tigers fell to the Bison 15-10 at Bucknell but topped them 4-3 at home earlier this season.

“We are glad to have ended our league play on such a high note, but Bucknell beat us for the first-place Southerns seed because of goal differential,” senior driver and tri-captain Helen Meigs said. “So we may be excited about our past couple weekends, but we are even more looking forward to proving that the league rankings right now are just incorrect.”

Princeton will face Maryland in the semifinal round of the Southern Division Championship on Saturday at DeNunzio Pool. The Tigers have dominated Maryland throughout the season so far, winning their three matchups 10-5, 11-6 and 13-4. If the Tigers beat the Terrapins, they will likely face Bucknell in the championship game on Sunday.

“A necessity for winning Southerns is a giant home crowd,” Meigs said of what it would take to spur the Tigers to victory. “It’s the seniors’ last [set of] home games ever, and we want the noise.”