After a tough West Coast trip, the men’s water polo team will return to the friendly confines of DeNunzio Pool on Saturday for a rematch with Bucknell.
Last weekend, the Tigers faced stiff competition at the SoCal Tournament, facing No. 2 University of California, Los Angeles, and No. 10 Loyola Marymount on Saturday, losing 13-2 and 9-1, respectively. On Sunday, the Tigers lost a close game in the morning to No. 12 St. Francis, 13-11, but rebounded with a 10-8 win over Redlands in the afternoon.
Princeton (9-6 overall, 3-0 Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division) has a chance to carry the momentum from its Redlands victory into this weekend’s game against a struggling Bucknell team, which they defeated 9-6 on Sept. 19. The Bison (8-7, 0-3) started the season strong, winning seven of their first eight games and reaching No. 18 in the polls. They have hiccupped, however, in the last couple weeks, losing their last five games and falling out of the NCAA top 20. They should be well rested and hungry, though, after a two-week hiatus since their last game, a loss to George Washington on Sept. 25.
Princeton, however, is also hungry after its 1-3 trip.
“We played some tough teams out there, which is probably a good thing,” senior goalkeeper Mike Merlone said. “We’re humbled by our trip out West, so we’re more focused. We trained really hard this week.”
On the other hand, Bucknell has been plagued by inconsistency. Its last win was a 21-3 domination of George Washington, to whom they lost a week later, on Sept. 18. The Bison scored 13 goals or more in each of their first eight games, but have done so only once in the seven games since. Still, their season average is 13.7 goals per game, which highlights their aggressive, offensive playing style.
“They can be a really big threat,” Merlone explained. “They have a lot of lefties who can shoot, more than most teams, and that creates matchup problems.”
One such left-hander, Australian Richie Hyden, is Bucknell’s most potent offensive threat. The two-time All-American has 32 goals on the year along with 16 assists, wrapping up one of the best careers in Bison history. He currently ranks eighth in career goals, second in career shots and ninth in career assists all-time at Bucknell.
Senior center defender and co-captain Matt Hale will provide a tough matchup for Hyden. Hale leads the Tigers with 24 steals and will again be called upon to shut down Hyden like he did last time, holding Hyden to one goal. But Hale has his goalkeeper’s confidence.
“[Hyden] is kind of a sneaky player, always trying to drive at you when you aren’t looking, and Matt is a good matchup because he’s such a heads-up player,” Merlone said. “They look to him to take most of their shots, so we’re trying to get good matchups and take him out of the game, making them look to guys who are less confident shooting.”
In the first contest between the two teams, the Tigers’ strategy was successful, as they used their solid defense to maintain control for most of the game, turning a 4-3 halftime lead into a 9-6 victory.
“The first game was part of a tournament that really didn’t matter,” Merlone said. “Both teams were mostly playing for the experience, trying to play everyone.”
This time the game is more significant, but while the circumstances are different, the Tigers will still be gunning for a win.
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