Women's Water Polo: Tigers take 3rd at Easterns

The Tigers jumped out early, sprinting to a 4-1 first-quarter lead. The Tigers worked out the kinks in their man-advantage offense from the previous weekend. Princeton finished with a 50 percent conversion rate — three of six — which was much improved from their 20 percent rate against the Bison a week ago. Another crucial difference from last week was a major drop in saves for Bucknell goalie Alison Carter. Carter shut down Princeton in the Southern Finals, recording 14 saves, but this time the Tigers got the best of her, as she only recorded five saves.

Princeton’s centers capitalized on a discombobulated Bucknell team defense. Junior center Lauren Brunner and freshman center Saranna Soroka each tallied three goals in the Princeton victory. The balanced team offense avenged a troubled offense last weekend. Senior tri-captains and drivers Phoebe Champion, Helen Meigs and Carolina Ardila, along with freshman driver Brittany Zwirner, each added a goal for the Tigers. Princeton’s first-round upset forced a meeting with the top seeded No. 7 ranked Michigan Wolverines in the semifinals.

Michigan ranks among the premier women’s water polo programs in the country. The Wolverines have won the last two Eastern Championships and have brought their most talented unit yet into the postseason this year. The Tigers were excited to get an opportunity to upend Michigan and pull a historic upset.

“We know they can play,” Meigs said before the game. “But we can play with anybody, and we are going to fight to finish and hopefully come away with a win.”

The Wolverines sprinted out of the gates, scoring on a six-on-five possession and then finishing a five-meter penalty shot. The Tigers, as Meigs predicted, fought back by converting on three consecutive offensive possessions. Michigan battled back by outscoring the Tigers 3-1 in the second quarter to take a 5-4 halftime lead. The Wolverines never let up in the second half, pulling away to a 12-8 final tally.

Princeton’s six-on-five woes returned against Michigan’s tenacious defense. The Tigers only scored on three of 10 opportunities and committed several turnovers. The 12 goals for Michigan were the most Princeton has allowed since falling at Bucknell over a month ago.

“We put everything we had into that game,” Brunner said. “We missed too many opportunities to pull off the upset. It was disappointing, but they are a good team.”

The loss put the Tigers in the third-place game against No. 11 Hartwick. The loss to Michigan did not slow the Tigers down as they dominated Hartwick in the third-place game, 11-7. Princeton dominated the entire game and kept the Hawks at bay. Meigs led the Tigers offensively, scoring three goals as Champion added two for herself. Junior driver Cari Levine made the difference for the Tigers, scoring two huge goals in the first half for the Tigers. Her first goal tied the score at one, and the second score expanded Princeton’s lead to three in the second quarter. Sophomore goalie Kristen Ward recorded seven saves in the win for Tigers.

“The girls came up big today,” head coach Luis Nicolao said. “Beating Hartwick was huge for the ladies, and though we did not win Easterns, third is good for us.”