No. 11 Princeton men’s water polo (18–9 overall, 6–2 NWPC) went 2–1 at home in a tripleheader at DeNunzio Pool on Saturday. A late comeback proved not enough against a formidable No. 5 Fordham (18–3, 9–0 MAWPC) to start Princeton’s senior day. The Tigers proceeded to blow out Iona (8–13, 4–3) and Long Island University (4–22, 0–7) in one-sided affairs. These results mirror those from when Princeton took on these same three teams one month ago.
Late surge falls short in 18–14 loss to Fordham
Princeton had a tough opponent in top-five Fordham to start their Saturday slate. This loss marks their third consecutive one against the Rams.
The first quarter was even, with both teams trading goals throughout. Princeton recovered the lead when first-year attacker Taylor Bell launched a missile from head on at the perimeter for a huge goal, putting the Tigers up 4–3.
The Tigers’ play took a turn for the worse in the second and third quarters. Princeton turned the ball over and fell victim multiple times to the subsequent Fordham counterattacks. Down 15–8, hope seemed lost as the third quarter neared its conclusion. But after a couple of quick goals to cut the gap to five, the Tigers’ energy changed.
“The guys were very engaged and eager to keep battling,” Head Coach Dustin Litvak told The Daily Princetonian of the atmosphere before the fourth quarter. “We knew this wasn’t going to be an easy game … We know we can score on them, but we have to take care of the ball to limit their counter attack where they are the most dangerous.”
The Tigers came out hot in the fourth, going on a 4–0 run. The comeback culminated in a shot by sophomore attacker Enrique Nuño from deep that put the Tigers down only three at 15–12 and a win suddenly in reach. But after five tense minutes where Fordham clamped down on their lead, the buzzer rang, and the Tigers had lost.
Despite the disappointment of another loss to the Rams, the team took away positive lessons.
“At the end, we lost by just four [after having been down seven] which shows the team’s power and willingness to keep moving forward in the hardest moments”, sophomore attacker Ádám Peocz told the ‘Prince.’ “I am proud of our team because we never gave up.”
The Tigers bounce back against Iona with a comprehensive 16–5 victory
Eager to put their morning loss behind them, the Tigers jumped to a 6–0 lead to start the game. The offense was firing on all cylinders, with sophomore utility Gavin Appeldorn and Nuño leading the charge.
Senior utility JP Ohl had a massive throwdown for a goal in the second and Peocz scored another off of a fast break. The Gaels were able to come up with four points in the second quarter, but didn’t come close enough to menace the Tigers’ lead.
Princeton rolled on in the third quarter. Nuño perfectly timed a goal when he found himself one-on-one with the goalie, throwing it in with precision and force. A later play saw senior utility Logan McCarroll receive a great pass from outside which he duly sent to the cage.
Four second quarter points proved to be about all the Gaels could muster, managing only a single goal after. This was in large part due to a clinical performance by junior goalkeeper Kristóf Kovács, who notched 14 saves at an incredible 75 percent save percentage.
Princeton concludes the day with a 20–7 demolition of LIU
The Tigers were heavy favorites coming into the contest against LIU, but certainly did not take any chances. McCarroll capped off an opening run as he flung the ball to the back of the cage at center, handing the Tigers a 4–0 lead to close out the first quarter.
The Dolphins mounted more resistance in the second, earning three goals, but Bell kept them well at bay. After two early goals in the second, he finished his hat trick by hammering the ball down for a skip shot to the back of the cage, putting the Tigers up 9–4.
As the clock wound down in the third period, senior attacker Bhavan Aulakh launched a lob from way outside that somehow found the back of the cage to make it a 16–5 lead. The bench leapt to their feet, and Aulakh saluted to the crowd in celebration.
Princeton finished the game strong with a 4–0 run. Twelve different Tigers contributed goals, and Kovács was once again superb in the cage.
After the game, Peocz was straightforward in his reflections. “We have three more games to win before our conference championship, including Harvard and Brown,” he told the ‘Prince.’ “So we learn from the mistakes and keep up the hard work.”
The Tigers will look to finish out the regular season with the momentum behind them as they compete in another triple header away this Saturday, facing Harvard, Brown, and MIT.
Julian Danoff is a staff Sports writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com
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