Men's Water Polo: Princeton competes for national title

The men’s water polo team faces No. 1-ranked Southern California in the first game of the NCAA national championships this Saturday in Berkeley, Calif. In their fourth-ever NCAA appearance, this will be the first time that the Tigers have teammates who have been to the national championships before.

Just as in 2009, Princeton defeated Navy to become Eastern Champions and win a berth at NCAAs as the No. 4 seed. In a championship that must feel like deja vu, the Tigers, for the second time in the past three years, will face off against a top-seeded USC team. This year’s NCAA Final Four will include three of the same teams as it did two years ago, with UCLA taking the No. 2 seed again and UC San Diego replacing Loyola Marymount as the No. 3 seed.

Freshman attack Drew Hoffenberg, fresh off becoming the first Rookie of the Tournament to also be named Most Valuable Player at Eastern Championships, said he and the Tigers are ready for NCAAs. The team will likely need to rely on the rookie, who leads the team in assists and is second in goals scored.

“We are practicing hard and getting ready for their press,” Hoffenberg said. “One of the keys to playing against USC will be slowing down the game.”

Defending champion USC is looking to win its fourth consecutive NCAA title, a feat no other team has accomplished. The Trojans and the Tigers met earlier in the season when Princeton traveled out to California in late September, only to have USC dominate the game 13-4. The Trojans came out strong in the first half, while the Tigers were able to net just a goal each quarter.

“We know USC is a really great team, and we are planning on playing to our strengths — like defense,” senior center and captain Mike Helou said. “The biggest thing is going into this game with a competitive mindset. We have to play with that fire.”

If the Tigers can win their first game against USC, they will be the first non-Californian team to make it to the finals since the beginning of NCAAs in 1969. Princeton’s third-place finish in 2009 is the highest place a non-Californian team has placed, and the 2011 team hopes to better that record.

“We did what we started the season wanting to accomplish — making it to NCAAs,” Helou said. “Now we are playing to prove that we can compete with anyone.”

Princeton made its first NCAA appearance in 1992 when the national championship consisted of eight teams. After a 17-game win streak, the Tigers dropped all three games in Long Beach. They even fell to Navy, a team they had beaten three times earlier in the season.

To explain the loss, then-senior Brian Kouri ’93 said, “We were in good shape, but we had mental lapses in which we showed a lack of concentration, and the other team would get five quick goals.”

The ‘Prince’ likened the second NCAA appearance in 2004 to the rarity of Halley’s Comet. This time, only the top four teams competed. Princeton defeated St. Francis at Eastern Championships to secure the No. 4 seed. Traveling to Palo Alto, Calif., the Tigers played hard despite finishing fourth. In the first game they forced overtime, and in the second they lost only by one point.

In 2009, Princeton not only hosted the championships but also won a bid to play. Current juniors and seniors may recall the excitement of a sold-out DeNunzio Pool. After falling to the eventual winner, USC, the Tigers defeated Loyola Marymount University 7-6 to finish third.

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Princeton will take their second opportunity to defeat the USC Trojans at NCAA Championships on Dec. 3 at 4 p.m. EST. Live streaming will be available on the NCAA website.