Men's water polo streak finally broken at Johns Hopkins

No. 8 men’s water polo (8-1 overall, 4-1 Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division) saw their six-game unbeaten streak snapped on Saturday following a 10-9 decision in favor of conference opponent Johns Hopkins (4-3, 1-3). Later that evening, Princeton righted the ship against longtime rival Navy (8-3, 0-1), topping the Midshipmen by a score of 12-7. One more win came on Sunday morning against a surprisingly impressive George Washington side (6-3, 0-2) in a close 14-12 contest.

With the weekend’s results in the books, Princeton’s all-time record against Navy improves to 26-35. The Tigers extended their insurmountable series lead over George Washington to 36-1, while the loss to Johns Hopkins narrows the nearly as insurmountable Princeton series lead to 36-5.

Known to the Tigers as the “Tour of Death,” this annual mid-Atlantic trip regularly provides a slate of close competition. In anticipation of the matchup, players observed that Johns Hopkins’ pool is more shallow than standard. This home-field advantage provided the slight edge required.

Saturday morning’s bout came as a rematch of a 10-8 Princeton home win earlier this year at DeNunzio Pool. The contest was close throughout, with the teams drawn 4-4 after two periods. A strong third period from the Tigers saw them on top 8-7 with one quarter left to play. A 3-1 advantage in the final frame gave Johns Hopkins a well-earned victory.

Sophomore attack Curtis Fink managed a hat trick during the course of play. His captain, senior attack Drew Hoffenberg, recorded four assists, four steals and two ejections drawn.

Game two of the day was all Orange and Black, with Navy unable to withstand the 6-0 second-quarter run by Princeton. Hoffenberg led casino online his side with four goals as well as two steals and two ejections drawn.

Freshman attack Jordan Colina continued his strong rookie campaign, specializing in sprints. His perfect mark of 21-0 has helped the Tigers consistently establish possession.

Splitting the Saturday starts, junior goalkeeper Alex Gow and freshman goalkeeper Vojislav Mitrovic managed a pair of impressive performances. Against the Blue Jays, Gow racked up 15 saves in the loss. The rookie Mitrovic, whose record remains perfect at 5-0, tallied 14 stops versus the Midshipmen.

A slow start from Princeton didn’t end up mattering in Sunday’s showdown with George Washington. The home side took the first quarter with a 4-3 advantage, but a 6-3 Tiger run gave the visitors a 9-7 lead at the half. The Orange and Black sustained this margin for the remaining half, earning the 14-12 decision behind 13 saves from Gow.

The Colonials’ Ridvan Pehlivan, a native of Turkey, had the game-high mark of six goals. This tally, one short of his career-high of seven, couldn’t give his team an edge over the Tigers. Princeton’s freshman utility Connor McGoldrick paced his side with four goals, while sophomore utility Jovan Jeremic dished out four assists.

Princeton will return to action in a reversal of this past weekend’s slate of games. They’ll play host to George Washington at DeNunzio Pool at 11 a.m. on Saturday.