Women's Water Polo see success in DeNunzio during Senior Night

Coming off of a tough three-game series at the University of Michigan, the No. 15Princeton women’s water polo team continued its successful CWPA play Saturday and Sunday at DeNunzio pool, where they played four games against four different teams over the course of the weekend. The Tigers soundly defeated both Brown and George Washington and, as of this article’s writing, have yet to play Bucknell and Hartwick.

For senior utility Pippa Temple, the only senior on the team, this weekend was special for another reason. Temple was praised and honored this weekend during Senior Night for her four years of steady, powerful performance on the team. Hailing from Atherton, Calif., Temple has been one of the team’s sturdiest and most reliable performers, amassing a career 105 goals, 28 steals and 52 ejections drawn. She has also appeared in two CWPA championships and had two NCAA appearences.

Princeton first played Ivy League rival Brown, against whom it has won 26 out of 31 encounters. Brown, however, came out swinging, fighting Princeton to a 2-2 draw by the end of the first quarter. Off of an impressive four goals from sophomore utility Haley Wan and a career high seven assists from freshman utility Lindsey Kelleher, Princeton snagged a decisive 11-3 lead by the beginning of a second half. Ultimately, Princeton would triumph over Brown with a convincing 13-6 win. In addition to Wan and Kelleher, junior 2-meter Hannah Lapkin, junior center defender Morgan Hallock also scored multiple goals, while the defensive end was headed by sophomore 2-meter Chelsea Johnson’s ten saves and seven steals from the versatile Wan.

The Tigers didn’t have much time to rest on their laurels, as they got into the pool just four hours later to take on George Washington. Princeton has dominated its recent matchups against fellow CWPA member GWU, entering the game on a 44-game winning streak. From the very beginning, the Tigers played aggressively, jumping out to an 11-2 by halftime. At the goal, Johnson did not concede a single goal in the second half, enabling Princeton to ultimately snag a crushing 15-2 rout of the Colonials. Multiple Tigers contributed to Princeton’s burgeoning offensive: Hallock led Princeton with four points, with Wan and departing senior Temple each contributing three. Temple and Wan also led Princeton in assists, with three each.

Princeton’s remaining Sunday matchups are against Bucknell and Hartiwck College. The Tigers have seen recent success against Bucknell, holding a 39-7 advantage. In contrast, 21-ranked Hartwick and Princeton have a far more evenly-matched history, with Princeton holding a narrow 12-11 advantage. While both Sunday games will likely be hard-fought ones, the Tigers hope they can continue their success from Sunday and attain a four-game sweep.

The Tigers hope to further their success this season a week later at Harvard, where they will play in the CWPA championships in hope of an NCAA berth. Their success so far makes them a dangerous and powerful opponent for any other water polo team in the nation.