Women's Water Polo: Princeton earns 5th at Easterns

Princeton, which lost two close games to Maryland in the regular season, never led the Terrapins until the fourth quarter of Friday’s meeting. The Tigers were down by one goal at halftime and two at the end of the third period, but they rallied in the final quarter. Senior attack Lauren Brunner scored on a man-advantage situation to tie up the game. Junior defender Audrey Zak followed with another goal, giving Princeton its first and only lead of the game at 8-7.

But with three minutes remaining, Maryland defender Christine Goetsch evened the score to force overtime. The first overtime period ended scoreless, and it seemed the second would follow suit. With just two seconds on the clock, however, Goetsch took a shot that was deflected by a Princeton defender at just the right angle to find the Princeton goal, ending the game at 9-8.

Princeton went three for 14 on advantage opportunities while Maryland went five for 15. Junior Kristen Ward blocked 18 shots and Brunner was Princeton’s high scorer, netting three goals.

Playing for a spot in the fifth place game, the Tigers easily beat George Washington on Saturday. After jumping to a 4-0 lead in the first quarter, Princeton never led by fewer than three goals and eventually won the game 14-5. Ward and junior Grace du Pont shared the goal for a total of 10 saves. Senior attack Sarah Hutchinson netted four goals to earn Player of the Game.

In their final game of the tournament, the Tigers defeated Harvard for the third time this season, though it was the closest of the three matches.

Senior center defender Tanya Wilcox opened the scoring with a pair of first-period goals, and Princeton led the rest of the way. Harvard closed the score to 9-7 after three periods, but the Tigers pulled away for an 11-8 win.

Brunner and freshman center Katie Rigler each notched three goals in the victory, which gave Princeton fifth place for the tournament.

The Collegiate Water Polo Southern Division All-Conference team was announced last Thursday. This team and all honors are decided by votes from the division’s head coaches. Rigler and sophomore attack Brittany Zwirner were named to the first team, while freshman utility Molly McBee and Ward earned second-team honors. Ward has been named to an All-Conference team in each of her three seasons: the first team her freshman year and the second team her sophomore and junior years.