After Friday night, it’s clear UCLA still has Princeton’s number.
Under the bright lights of an NCAA quarterfinal matchup, NWPC champions No. 9 Princeton (23–10, 9–1 NWPC) faced off against a hungry No. 1 UCLA (27–2, 5–1 MPSF) team coming off of a conference championship loss to cross-town rival and top-ranked USC.
The Tigers and Bruins are no strangers, as the two sides met earlier this year in October, where UCLA handedly took the matchup in Los Angeles by a score of 23–10. While Princeton hung tough and gave the Bruins a much better fight than they had earlier in the year, UCLA proved to be too much and defeated the Tigers for the fourth time in NCAA tournament play.
The Bruins came out firing with an early goal to set the tone. However, Princeton refused to succumb to the early UCLA pressure and answered within just two minutes when first-year utility Otto Stothart rifled a shot into the net, evening the score at 1–1. However, the rest of the first quarter proved to be disastrous for Princeton’s hopes of getting a big quarterfinal win.
In the last three minutes of the opening frame, Bruins scored four times in quick succession, taking a 5–1 lead that would have been difficult for any team to overcome. UCLA had an impressive 53.6 percent shot conversion by the end of the contest compared to Princeton’s 40.7 percent.
While the game looked to have slipped out of Princeton’s hands early on, the Tigers fought back. Two of the next three goals belonged to the Orange and Black from sophomore attacker Enrique Nuño and first-year utility Luka Franulovic. The score was now 6–3 in favor of UCLA with five minutes to go in the first half, and Princeton had the opportunity to make a statement before halftime. However, the Bruins rediscovered their late quarter success and scored two additional goals, heading into the locker room with an 8–3 lead.
Down five heading into the second half, the Tigers needed to dig deep for a late surge against one of the most efficient defenses in the country. While Princeton found offensive success, it seemed as though every punch delivered by the Tigers had a Bruin response.
Halfway into the third quarter, the teams traded goals, with both teams besting the opposing goaltender twice. Princeton’s goals came from sophomore attacker Ádám Peocz and sophomore utility Gavin Appeldorn, who brought the score to 10–5. While the Bruins once again responded quickly, the Tigers found the answers they needed to close out the quarter strong.
For the first time in the game, Princeton scored consecutive goals, and cut the deficit to four at 11-7. This time, it was two senior leaders that came up big for the Tigers in a huge moment, with the goals coming from senior utilities Logan McCarroll and JP Ohl.
Though this contest marked the last time he’d be dressed in the Orange and Black, Ohl has had a career to remember. The senior ended with 82 assists on the season, the second highest total for any Tiger in program history. His 246 total career assists put him at the top of the list in Princeton history for the most feeds by any player who has represented Princeton in the pool.
Next year, the Tigers will also miss McCarroll, who was second on the team this year in goals, with 57. Joining McCarroll and Ohl in graduating is senior utility Luke Johnston, who tailed 72 goals across his career for the Orange and Black.
While the teams once again traded goals in the fourth quarter, UCLA never gave up the early control they had achieved. While the Tigers fought hard until the final buzzer, it was the Bruins who ended up on top 15–11, advancing to the NCAA semifinals and looking for their third straight championship game appearance.
The Tigers still had another season to remember. Princeton reached the NCAA tournament for a fifth consecutive time after having been crowned conference champions each of those years. While the Orange and Black will be disappointed with the close loss to a familiar foe, they have a lot to be excited about moving forward. Six of its seven top scorers will return, along with standout junior goalkeeper Kristóf Kovács.
Lucas Nor is a Sports staff writer for the ‘Prince.’
Please send any corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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