Women's Water Polo: Princeton finishes undefeated at home

The Tigers struggled in the beginning of the game, a trend that has plagued Princeton in each of its past three games. Hartwick jumped to a 3-1 lead by the end of the first quarter by pushing the ball past a strong defensive effort from the Tigers. Princeton outscored the Hawks 5-4 in the second quarter, but remained down 7-6 entering halftime.

In the third quarter, though, the Tigers turned the tide and took their first lead thanks to two goals each from junior center Saranna Soroka and sophomore utility Katie Rigler, who would finish with a team-high four on the game. The Hawks came back to tie the game at 10-10 in the beginning of the final quarter, but only Princeton would grace the scoreboard for the rest of the game. Three final unanswered goals gave the Tigers the 13-10 win, their third over a ranked opponent this season.

“The game went well, and while we made some defensive mistakes, our offensive power allowed us to control the game and cement the win,” senior center defender Audrey Zak said. “We have so many offensive weapons this year that our opponents are going to have a hard time stopping us.”

As it was the last home game for Princeton, the Hartwick contest was senior night. Before the game, the team honored the Tigers’ three seniors: Zak and goalies Kristen Ward and Katlin Poladian. All three of the girls had their parents present on the pool deck, and head coach Luis Nicolao gave each player flowers and shared a brief highlight reel of each girl’s Princeton water polo career.

“I think senior night definitely boosted the excitement around the game for not only our team, but our family and friends as well,” Poladian said. “Every year, the freshmen decorate our locker room, and this year they had streamers, balloons and posters that highlighted the seniors before our last home game, which was really special.”

“Senior night made the win that much more satisfying; I couldn’t have asked for a better way to end my career in DeNunzio,” Zak said. “It was sad to be playing my last game there, but I have the rest of a great season to look forward to.”

The Tigers have two postseason tournaments left. This weekend, they will head down to Lewisburg, Pa., for Southern Division Championships. After finishing the season 5-0 in conference games, Princeton will take the No. 1 seed. On Saturday, the Tigers will play the winner of the matchup between No. 4-seed Bucknell and No. 5-seed George Washington to determine which place they play for on Sunday. If they win, the Tigers will face the top team of the other three-team bracket.

Last year, there wasn’t a Southern Division Tournament. Rather, the regular season results qualified teams for a spot at Eastern Championships. After being undefeated in the regular season against conference teams, Princeton is favored to win Southern Championships and earn the top seed for Eastern Championships.