Men's water polo gets physical, defeats Queens

Many people believe that, despite one's ethical beliefs, there are necessary evils that occasionally must be followed to achieve a desired outcome.

This was the rule of thumb for the Princeton men's water polo team this past Saturday, as the Tigers (17-6 overall, 7-1 Collegiate Water Polo Association) were able to slip past a physical Queens squad with a 7-6 victory.

"We just knew that it was going to be a physical game and, therefore, we needed to adjust and play more physical," senior driver Jimmy Orozco said.

The Knights have built a reputation as an aggressive, physical team, which has perfected all those underwater pushes and kicks that can distract an opposing team into losing its composure. From there, Queens can capitalize on mistakes and steal away with the win.

But the Tigers knew better. Defensively, they countered by retaliating with the same amount of force as their opponents, keeping Queens' offensive players in check.

"We kept our cool against [Queens] and waited to let the game come to us," senior captain and driver Chris Gratian said.

This led to a very physical game in which penalties were more common than usual. In fact, there was a total of three penalty shots in the game, which brought goaltending to the forefront of the match.

The Tigers were fortunate to have a fully healthy Jon Pharris on their side. In total, the junior recorded a season-high 13 saves. But more importantly, he made those saves at crucial moments.

Key save

With the Tigers up 5-3 in the fourth quarter, the Knights were awarded their second penalty shot of the game. But Pharris came away with a huge block, stopping cold any chance Queens had of swinging momentum in its favor.

"Pharris was big for us this game," Orozco said. "He performed in clutch time, which is all we could ask of him."

Offensively, the Tigers were unexpectedly a little slow out of the starting gate. Head coach Luis Nicolao lamented the Tigers' inability to convert any of their golden opportunities.

"We were really working hard and executing well to get the opportunities but not finishing off the easy part," Nicolao said.

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But, after a half of tight play, with the score tied at 3-3, the Tigers' natural speed and endurance advantages began to wear down the opposition. Always two strokes ahead, Princeton dodged the physical play of the Knights and kept them constantly back on their defensive heels.

With Pharris supporting the Tigers on the defensive end, the men's team was able to open up a 5-3 lead and stay one step ahead of Queens on the scoreboard for the rest of the game. The main offensive support was supplied primarily by the two-goal performances of sophomore two-meters Robert Urquhart and Kevin Foster.

"It's encouraging to know that we can set up those goals and I know, with a little more rest, that we put them all away consistently," Nicolao said.

With two weeks before their next competition — ECACs on Oct. 28 — the Tigers have plenty of time to perfect their scoring touch. Then, Princeton can prepare for its main playoff tournament, Easterns, where the Tigers hope to improve upon their third-place finish last year.

"We know that if we continue to work hard and focus, we'll be able to fix all the little mistakes," Orozco said. "Then, we'll be ready to be the best team in the East."