Tigers go 4-3 on tough California trip

The No. 11 men's water polo team traveled to California this weekend for a tough seven-game series against some of the nation's best teams. The Tigers (10-3) suffered their first loss but went 4-3 overall.

The Tigers entered the weekend undefeated and won their first match against Chapman 13-9. The Tigers fell behind 1-2 in the first period but evened the score at four by the end of the first half. They charged ahead after halftime, scoring three goals in the third period and four in the fourth, holding the Panthers (2-4) to three in each for a final score of 13-10. Junior attacker Drew Hoffenberg and junior center Kayj Shannon led the attack with three goals each.

The next matchup was much tougher, as No. 7 Long Beach State handed the Tigers their first loss of the season. They scored just two goals in the first period and none in the second period, while LBS (10-3) scored four in the half. Princeton managed to put in five during the second half, but LBS scored seven times to preserve its lead for a final score of 11-7. Hoffenberg led the team with two goals.

It did not get easier in the next game, when Princeton took on No. 2 USC (12-1). The Trojan defense stifled the Tigers' prolific attack, holding them to just two goals in each half. Meanwhile, the Trojans scored eight goals in the first half and piled on 14 in the second to win 22-4. Freshman utility Jovan Jeremic was one of only two Tigers to score, with three goals.

The Tigers bounced back in the next match against La Verne, holding the Leopards (0-12) scoreless in the first half while making up for the USC loss with 13 goals. Jeremic and sophomore center Tommy Nelson scored three times each, and senior utility Tyler Amina made 13 saves.

The tide turned again in the next game, as No. 1 UCLA (14-0) rolled over the Tigers, 15-3.

Despite the three losses over the past two days, the Tigers finished strong in the last two games of the weekend against Claremont McKenna and Whittier. Hoffenberg scored five more goals against Claremont (2-10), while Jeremic added three and Shannon contributed two. Senior goalie Ben Dearborn had 15 saves.

The weekend ended with a thriller. The teams were tied 1-1 after the first period, but Whittier (5-8) took the lead in the second 4-2. By the end of the third period, Princeton was still down 5-3, but in the fourth period the Tigers broke past the Poets' defense with a rally of five goals while keeping Whittier to just one. The ever-productive Hoffenberg had five goals in the two-goal victory.

Despite the losses, the Tigers remain No. 11 on a chart dominated by Californian schools and are the highest-ranked team not from the West Coast. Next weekend the Tigers get a chance to avenge last year's Eastern Championship loss when they take on Bucknell at home.