W. water polo downs No. 8 UMass, 5-4

The clock at DeNunzio pool was nearing the final seconds of the game.

The scoreboard was even at 4-4.

Time was running out.

It was the final meet of the Princeton Invitational, and after Friday's 8-4 win against Indiana (4-3 overall) and Saturday's easy victories over Brown and Queens — 13-7 and 13-6 respectively — the women's water polo team (5-0) wanted to end on a strong note.

Thanks to sophomore driver Cassie Nichols, that note came with 28 seconds left in the game.

Nichols' game-winning goal gave Princeton a critical 5-4 victory over UMass (2-1). The win stands as an important feat for the No. 12 Tigers, who showed great poise in defeating the No. 8 Minutemen.

"UMass has been the most dominant team on the East coast over the past few years, and it was certainly a very close and tough game," senior captain and goalie Goga Vukmirovic said. "I am very happy about how everyone played, especially on defense."

Princeton had a lot to be proud of this weekend as it won all four matches, maintaining its undefeated record.

"It was a great feeling to beat UMass," freshman driver Jenny Edwards said. "I think we really put them in their place."

The festivities began Friday when the Tigers took on Indiana in the kickoff match of the weekend. The Hoosiers attacked the net with fury in the first half, giving themselves a 3-2 lead heading into the third period. Princeton awoke from its slumber in the second half, however, outscoring Indiana 6-1 en route to earning an 8-4 victory.

While Nichols put four goals on the scoreboard versus the Hoosiers, juniors Alina Brown and Katherine Kixmiller, Edwards and fellow freshman Adele McCarthy also contributed goals.

Hoping to improve upon Friday's rocky start, the Tigers entered DeNunzio Saturday with a more confident approach.

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"We came out a bit flat into the game," Vukmirovic said. "We didn't really change any strategy. We just started to play our game, and things worked out."

Princeton wasted no time getting into the action versus Queens. In the first quarter, McCarthy sunk four into the net, pushing the Tigers out to a quick start. Princeton then received another two goals in the second quarter from Kixmiller.

The Tigers thus headed into the second half with a comfortable 8-2 lead over Queens. McCarthy and Kixmiller stayed strong in the final half as well, both contributing to Princeton's strong offense. In the last two stanzas, McCarthy scored her fifth goal of the game while Kixmiller added two more. The last quarter saw freshman driver Joanne Armstrong likewise get into the act, tallying a pair of scores and pushing the final count to 13-6.

"The highlight of the weekend was how well the freshmen played, especially the play of Adele McCarthy and Jenny Edwards," Vukmirovic said. "Both have very strong outside shots, and have proven to be very effective at two meters. They are definitely going to be strong assets for our offense."

Sharks and minnows

In round two of Saturday's competition, the freshmen ruled the pool yet again. In the Tigers' second game of the day against league rival Brown, McCarthy and Edwards sunk four goals apiece, leading Princeton to a 13-7 victory and its third win on the weekend.

"We definitely don't have much experience playing together, but already, we are playing so well as a team," Edwards said. "Coach Nic-olao switches people in and out so quickly because he knows that we can handle it."

The Tigers — a young team with a great amount of depth — will rely on strong performances from both the newcomers and the veterans as they head into Collegiate Water Polo Association league play March 11. Princeton will battle Penn, Villanova and Westchester in its first three contests.