Last weekend, the men’s water polo team lost consecutive games on the East Coast for the first time all season. On Saturday, No. 18 Princeton (11-7 overall, 6-2 College Water Polo Association Southern Division) looks to right itself before the start of the postseason.
The Tigers face off against Iona (3-14) on Saturday morning at DeNunzio Pool before closing out Southern Division play with a 5 p.m. game against George Washington (6-14, 1-3). With the Ivy League Tournament and Southern Championships on the horizon, Princeton hopes to close out its regular season in the same form it has displayed throughout the year.
Iona returns to the pool after a two-week break from play. The time off will likely wash some of the sting away from the Gaels’ grueling trip to the West Coast that ended with five losses in five games. Iona opened the 2010 season with three losses in DeNunzio Pool and will need an inspired performance to reverse this trend.
Utility Seth Tasman leads the Gaels’ offense with a team-high 31 goals and 10 assists. Tasman will receive some help on the offensive end of the pool from utility Matt Joslyn (15 goals, 8 assists) and two-meter Kristian Bocage (13 goals, 9 assists).
If history is any indication, the Tigers’ game against Iona could provide some unexpected fireworks. The last time the two teams played was Oct. 25, 2008 — exactly two years to the date before this Saturday’s game. Princeton used four overtime goals in that contest to capture a 13-10 win.
George Washington poses a greater challenge for Princeton in the second game of the team’s Saturday doubleheader. The Tigers captured a 13-9 victory against the Colonials in Washington earlier this year. Junior center Mike Helou recorded one of his best performances of the year with four goals while junior attack Chris Cottrell and sophomore attack Tommy Donahue each found the back of the net twice in the win. Senior goalie and co-captain Mike Merlone kept the Colonials at bay with 11 saves.
Though George Washington has a losing mark on the year, the team holds high hopes for the future. The Colonials’ two leading scorers — Nate Little (43 goals) and Daniel Tyner (49 goals) — are freshmen, and the team’s roster contains only one upperclassman in senior Peter Thomas. Little and Tyner will receive some offensive support from Paul Deasey, who leads George Washington with 31 assists.
The Tigers’ balanced offensive attack centers around four players: Cottrell, Donahue, Helou and sophomore attack Tim Wenzlau. Those four players have combined for 90 goals this season.
Princeton’s senior co-captains have provided a reassuring presence on the defensive end of the pool throughout the year. Senior center defender Matt Hale boasts a team-best 40 steals and 21 assists while Merlone has recorded an impressive 0.558 save percentage in 18 starts.
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