After winning the Northeast Water Polo Conference for the fourth year in a row, Princeton Water Polo (23–9 overall, 9–1 NWPC) headed to California to compete in the NCAA tournament. However, in a matchup against a tough Stanford team (22–5, 4–2 Mountain Pacific Sports Federation), Dustin Litvak’s squad ultimately fell short in the NCAA quarterfinals, losing 15–8.
The game started off with runs on both sides. After two quick opening goals from the Cardinal, first-year attacker Enrique Nuño lasered the ball into the back of the cage following an ordinary foul with 4:42 to play in the first. Then, after drawing a 5-meter penalty shot, first-year attacker Ádám Peocz froze the goalie and scored the second Tiger goal, evening the score.
With 2:40 remaining in the first quarter, the Tigers took the lead by a score of 3–2 following a series of cross-pool passes, culminating in a goal from senior utility Roko Pozaric, his first of two on the day. It was a big momentum swing for the Orange and Black, scoring three unanswered points after going down early.
However, the second quarter saw Princeton lose steam. It wasn’t until there were less than two minutes in the quarter that the Tigers found paydirt again. Pozaric, off a hustle play from senior attacker Gavin Molloy, whipped a fastball into the net, evening the score at 4. Unfortunately, Stanford was able to sneak two more past sophomore goalie Kristóf Kovács before the halftime buzzer and the Tigers went into the locker room down 6–4.
“They are very organized and disciplined and don’t make many mistakes,” head coach Dustin Litvak wrote to The Daily Princetonian after the game. “We knew that going in and talked about how we could attack it and take them out of their rhythm. For whatever reason, we strayed from the game plan several times and went away from what had worked for us most of the season.”
Coming out of the half, Stanford took control and never looked back. The Tigers struggled to string things together offensively and it wasn’t until a Peocz goal with 2:50 to play in the quarter that Princeton got back on the board. Peocz scored again with 12 seconds left in the third off a missile to the right of the cage, completing his hat trick, and making the score 9–6.
Despite a pair of consolation goals from senior defender Vladan Mitrovic and junior utility JP Ohl in the fourth, Princeton couldn’t overcome the deficit and fell 15–8 to Stanford.
“We were way too stagnant both with our player and ball movement and that just won’t get the job done against the zone Stanford runs,” coach Litvak wrote to the ‘Prince.’
Nevertheless, it was a great season for the Tigers. On top of their four-peat in the NWPC, Litvak’s squad had six players named to all-conference teams. Pozaric won his third consecutive MVP award and coach Litvak was named Coach of the Year for the fourth year in a row.
With ten seniors graduating after this season, the loss to Stanford marks the end of an era of Princeton water polo.
“These seniors will leave this program in a better place than they found it,” coach Litvak wrote while reflecting on his seniors. “They will forever be connected to Princeton Water Polo, our brotherhood, and any future successes this program has. I truly hope they have learned as much from me as I have from them and have enjoyed the last four years as much as I have. Princeton is now on the top of many recruits’ lists, and that is because of them.”
“This team is my family away from home,” Pozaric wrote to the ‘Prince’ after the game. “They are always here to support me whenever I need them. If someone told me four years ago that I will end up with so many lifelong friends, I wouldn’t believe them, but I am lucky to have every single one of them as my friend.”
Pozaric finished his Princeton career with a plethora of awards, ranging from NWPC Rookie of the Year in 2021 to Cutino Award (top men’s water polo player) Finalist in 2023.
“We have had a string of four successful seasons and the graduating seniors have a lot to do with that,” coach Litvak stated. “They have helped take the program to new heights including beating Stanford and Cal (two of the perennial big four), a final four run in 2023 and most importantly establishing a standard for our program.”
“We always talk about consistency and if we can sustain that, this run will last well past their time here,” he added.
“All the seniors definitely left a piece of themselves with the program and will keep following its successes going forward,” Pozaric concluded.
Doug Schwartz is a Sports contributor and a News contributor for the ‘Prince.’
Please send corrections to corrections[at]dailyprincetonian.com.
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