Women's water polo starts season on a good note

In a strong opening to the season, the women’s water polo team took down three of four foes at DeNunzio Pool this weekend at the Princeton Invitational. They would defeat Harvard, Villanova University and Iona College while losing to Indiana University.

The Tigers certainly have the bar set high for themselves with an incredibly strong performance last season, going 31-2 overall and finishing with a perfect 5-0 record in all their matches at DeNunzio. However, while the Tigers finished with a great record, they just missed out one of the eight spots in the NCAA Women’s Water Polo Championship last year. After ending last season ranked No. 9 and entering this one ranked No. 10, the team looks in good position to make a push to get into the tournament.

At the invitational, the Tigers opened up strong with resounding victories of 16-4 and 12-6 over the Villanova Wildcats and the Harvard Crimson, respectively. Against Villanova, the Tigers gained a huge lead in the second half, as they turned what was a three-point lead into a blowout by outscoring their opponents 10-1. On the game, the scoring leaders were senior Ashley Hatcher and sophomore Morgan Hallock, who put in three goals each on the game. On the defensive end, freshman Helena Van Brande stopped 11 of the 15 shots that came her way, making a huge impact in her first collegiate start.

The game against rival Harvard would prove to be more of a fight, which one would expect given the Crimson enter this season ranked No. 20. The Tigers would once more finish the first half still mired in a struggle, finishing the half up only 5-3 and only later extending the lead. Hatcher again would prove instrumental, as she and freshman Chelsea Johnson would net three goals apiece. Hatcher is starting the season right where she left off — as she scored a total of 53 goals last year, en route to being Princeton’s second leading goal scorer.

The next match pitted Princeton against the team that blocked them from getting to the NCAA championships: the No. 9 ranked Indiana Hoosiers. This match was especially heated since the Hoosiers defeated the Tigers in the Collegiate Water Polo Association Championships to secure a spot in the NCAA tournament.

The game would prove to be Princeton’s most intense on the day. With the game tied at 6 apiece, Hatcher would come up big again, making the go-ahead goal to put Princeton up by one with just two minutes remaining. Unfortunately, Indiana would equalize, and in overtime would outscore Princeton by just one to win the game 9-8. Hatcher again tied for Princeton’s leading scorer in the game, along with fellow senior Jessie Holechek with two goals each.

However, as any Princeton student can attest, there’s never any rest for the weary. After this overtime loss, Princeton turned around and battled the unranked Iona Gaels to complete the day. The Tigers were again locked in a tough struggle by halftime, holding just a slight lead at 3-2. Just as in the games against Villanova and Harvard, the Tigers would flex their muscle and dominate the Gaels in the second half. They would ultimately trounce Iona to the tune of 18-6, with Hallock and freshman Haley Wan leading the team at 3 goals apiece.

While the perfect home record of last year is out of the question, the Tigers certainly have reason to feel proud of this weekend’s performance. Next weekend, they travel to Lewisburg, Pa., to face three unranked opponents and have a great chance to build on their 3-1 record.