The No. 10 Princeton women’s water polo team (12–2 overall, 4–0 Collegiate Water Polo Association) defeated four teams this past weekend in a CWPA conference showdown at DeNunzio pool, sweeping the weekend slate.
The Tigers started the weekend strong with a 15–4 win over the Bucknell Bison (3–12, 0–1) Saturday morning. Led by a hat trick from senior utility Meera Burghardt, the Tigers held their lead throughout the opening period and closed out the first half with a 10-point lead. The second half was just as assertive, as the Tigers held this lead and finished the match victorious.
In the weekend’s marquee matchup, Princeton defeated the No. 8 Michigan Wolverines (14–7, 3–1 CWPA) 10–8 Saturday afternoon.
The Tigers were aggressive out of the gate, scoring in the first 45 seconds of the quarter, courtesy of sophomore attacker Ava Houlahan. Junior attacker Rachael Carver proved to be a force for the Tigers, with a powerful shot into the back of the net to put the Tigers up 2–0.
Houlahan strikes first! Tigers lead 1-0 pic.twitter.com/d9NYvoZAHH
— Princeton Water Polo (@Pwaterpolo) March 2, 2024
Michigan quickly responded to Princeton’s charge as Kata Utassy made the most of the Wolverine’s possession to score a goal just 20 seconds later.
Despite attempts from junior utility Kayla Yelensky and junior utility Kate Mallery to extend the Tiger lead, Michigan goalkeeper Alex Brown, ranked second in the country in saves, stopped the numerous Tiger efforts.
First-year utility Olivia Krotts responded, scoring with two minutes remaining in the first squad. After a Michigan offensive foul, Princeton scored on a counterattack after Burghardt found the back of the net to make it a 4–1 game.
With just 12 seconds remaining in the first quarter, attacker Alison Lock scored for the Wolverines to cut the deficit to two. Though Princeton dominated the first quarter, Michigan entered the second with force, scoring two goals in the first minute to tie the game at four. A back-and-forth effort from both teams kept the score level at four. Sophomore goalkeeper Lindsey Lucas had several impressive blocks, owning the cage and counteracting Michigan’s attempts.
“Michigan is a great program and it will always be a battle against them,” Lucas wrote to The Daily Princetonian. “We went into this game knowing how hard we would need to work. They have strong shooters and we prioritized communication to work together to get stops. Our team has great chemistry which helps us work together on defense.”
A Tiger goal from first-year center Charlotte Riches provided another push for the Orange and Black. Princeton failed to convert on their power play with under a minute remaining and Utassy tied the game at five all heading into the halftime break.
Tied 5–5 heading into the third quarter, Princeton locked in to respond. A pass from Lucas set Carver up for a Princeton goal. Shortly after, senior utility Kaila Carroll scored off an assist from Carver.
“We were having trouble putting away our shots but were still generating more scoring opportunities than Michigan,” Houlahan told the ‘Prince’ postgame. “Our team understood this, slowed down our play, and took pride in our shooting opportunities and strong defense.”
Despite much-needed goals for the Wolverines, continual conversions allowed Princeton to open the lead, closing out the third quarter with a 9–6 advantage.
The last quarter was highlighted by a great defensive stand by the Tigers as well as another impressive goal by Houlahan from the corner. A save from Lucas in the final 40 seconds solidified the victory for Princeton, as they took down No. 8 Michigan 10–8.
WHAT A SAVE! Lindsey comes up with a huge save late in the fourth. pic.twitter.com/m6091xjoxv
— Princeton Water Polo (@Pwaterpolo) March 2, 2024
“I don’t think anyone doubted our ability to win,” Houlahan added.
Princeton continued their winning streak, defeating Saint Francis University (1–18, 1–5) 14–7. The Tigers took the lead early and continued to open the lead. The game was highlighted by Princeton’s gritty plays, which allowed five different players to score at least two goals, and more impressive defense efforts from the Tigers added another Princeton win to the weekend.
In Sunday afternoon’s matchup against fellow Ivy opponent, the No. 20 Brown Bears (10–9, 2–3), the Tigers completed the weekend sweep, defeating Brown 9–6.
Though the Bears started the scoring for the match, Burghardt responded for the Tigers, scoring the first goal of the game to bring it back even. It was another back-and-forth affair between the two teams, and both defensive and offensive efforts left the Tigers down 1–2 at the end of the first quarter.
Junior utility Kayla Yelensky scored her first goal of the game with 4:49 remaining in the second quarter. The Tigers used this momentum to capitalize, with Yelensky finding another goal to end the second quarter 3–2.
Further aggressive plays from Houlahan and Carroll, as well as a hat trick from Yelensky, contributed to Princeton’s climb, closing out the third quarter with a 6–4 lead.
Though the Bears started to chip at the deficit, pulling it to a one-point game, an assist from Mallery led Houlahan to another point, allowing them to extend their lead once again. Yelensky made another shot — her fourth point of the contest — to bring the Tigers up 8–6.
The Tigers finished the match triumphant, beating the Bears 9–6 and ending the successful weekend on another high note. After dropping the first two games of the season, the Tigers have won an impressive 12 games in a row and are undefeated at Denunzio Pool.
The Tigers will head to California next weekend to face No. 21 San Jose State, No. 3 Stanford, No. 14 Indiana, and No. 13 UC San Diego at the Aztec Invitational, where they will have another opportunity to play ranked opponents and show the nation that they belong with the best of the best.
“As always we will be focusing on playing our game,” Lucas told the ‘Prince.’ “Focusing on our attitude, positivity, and our own style of play.”
Lucas ended by saying, “The team is happy, but not satisfied. We have a long way to go and if we want to achieve our goals, the work is far from done.”
Francie McKenzie is a Sports contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please direct any corrections requests to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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