With two-and-a-half minutes to play — and the Eastern Championship on the line — the women's water polo team and UMass were tangled in another test of endurance.
For three straight years, the Minutewomen had come out on top of these battles. But when junior two-meter driver Katherine Kixmiller fired a shot past the UMass goalie to give the Tigers a 5-4 advantage, it was clear that the roles had reversed. The Tigers (24-3 overall, 8-0 Collegiate Water Polo Association) had officially established themselves as the best in the East.
Sophomore driver Cassie Nichols would add another goal with 1:30 left in the game — and Princeton would leave DeNunzio Pool with a 6-4 win and its first-ever Easterns title.
This victory came only after Princeton topped Salem-Teikyo, 10-4, MIT, 14-3, and Villanova, 13-3, earlier in the weekend.
"It was an exciting weekend," head coach Luis Nicolao said. "We showed a lot of character and showed how far we've come this year."
Strong start
Kicking off the three-day tournament, Princeton topped Salem-Teikyo, 10-4, Friday night at DeNunzio Pool. Tallying goals were junior driver Alina Brown, sophomore driver Cassie Nichols, freshman driver Jenny Edwards and freshman two-meter Adele McCarthy, who scored five times for the Tigers. Senior goalie Goga Vukmirovic recorded seven saves.
Saturday morning, in Princeton's second game of the weekend, MIT failed to prevent McCarthy from rushing the net. While the freshman scoring sensation sunk four into MIT's net, Edwards had a hand in three goals. Nichols and Kixmiller each had one goal in the win.
MIT struggled to break Princeton's defense as well. Vukmirovic allowed just one score while she tended goal and freshmen Jenny Hildebrand and Lisa Rockefeller combined for four saves when they took over the goal in the second half. "Playing MIT enabled us to get a lot of players in the game," Nicolao said. "We were up early in the game so we were able to play everyone."
The Tigers then went on to conquer Villanova Saturday night for the fifth time this season. Continuing its 14-game winning streak, Princeton easily defeated the Wildcats in what was one of the more important games of the weekend. The winner of this match was guaranteed a spot at the national tournament, which takes place in Bloomington, Ind., later this week. The Tigers, however, had nothing to worry about.
Led by McCarthy, who recorded five goals and Kixmiller, who had three, Princeton got off to a good lead and never looked back.
Showdown
The Villanova victory brought the Tigers to the finals Sunday morning when they took on rival UMass.
The score remained close throughout the game against the Minute-women. Only one goal had been scored in the first quarter — McCarthy's - to give the Tigers a 1-0 lead. By the end of the half, McCarthy had scored two more times. UMass also had a couple enter the cage. The score then evened up at the end of the third quarter, the only period in which Princeton was shut out.
At the beginning of the fourth quarter, Kixmiller scored the Tigers' fourth goal of the game. The Minutewomen quickly responded and evened the score once again. With 2:17 left Kixmiller scored her second goal of the game and gave the Tigers the crucial 5-4 lead. With 1:30 remaining, Nichols sunk one more for the Tigers, solidifying a victory.
"We played the best," Nicolao said. "We were hoping to win, but we took nobody lightly."
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