Women's Water Polo: No. 7 Michigan headlines weekend opponents

Michigan (20-4) has not lost to any of its CWPA opponents this season as its only four losses have come against top-10 teams from California. The Wolverines are coming off a 9-8 victory over their top rival, No. 12 Indiana. From the start of the season, these two teams have been rivals for the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships, which will be hosted by Michigan.

Bucknell (9-8) has lost all three of its games against Southern Division teams, falling to George Washington, Maryland and Brown. The Bison are the only team from the CWPA West to have not played a game against a division rival yet this season.

St. Francis (3-7) and Princeton have not played against any common teams this season. The Terriers, who compete in the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, have a roster of just 13 players and are trying to build a previously weak program into a contender.

NYAC, a club water polo team, is the home of 11 players on the senior national team. It is also the reigning champion of the Top 40, a tournament featuring the best club teams in the country.

Princeton will not be playing any intradivision games this weekend, though two of its opponents play in the Western division. The Tigers have dropped only one division game this season, an 11-10 loss to Maryland five weeks ago. Both teams traded the lead back and forth in a close game until the Terrapins took the win with a goal in the last five seconds.

Unlike in previous seasons, when there was a postseason divisional tournament, regular season results will determine the division champion this year. Princeton will play three more games against Southern Division rivals, including a rematch against Maryland, which has yet to lose a division game.

Freshman utility Molly McBee was named the Southern Division Rookie of the Week and sophomore center Saranna Soroka was named Player of the Week. Both from southern California, they earned these titles for their performance during the final five games of Princeton’s spring break trip to their home state.

McBee notched eight goals, three assists and three steals while drawing six ejections as Princeton went 3-2 to close out the break. Soroka accumulated seven goals, two assists and two steals. She also drew eight ejections and was the only player to score in every game that the Tigers won.