Princeton University Athletics
Women's Water Polo Wins ECAC Championship
April 01, 2001 | Women's Water Polo
April 1, 2001
PRINCETON, N.J. - The Princeton Tigers defeated the Bears of Brown University 9-6, to take their third ECAC Championship in four years. For the two Tiger captains, Katherine Kixmiller and Alina Brown, this championship is bitter-sweet as it was their last game played in DeNunzio pool.
The Tigers entered the tournament as the number one seeded team. In the first round of the tournament, the Tigers defeated Harvard 10-5 and Gannon 17-3. Princeton defeated Hartwick, this morning, 11-3 in the match to determine who would play in the finals against Brown.
Brown started off the match opening up a quick 2-0 lead. Princeton's Adele McCarthy-Beauvais controlled the opening draw yet a tough Bear defensive took possession and pushed the ball back into their offensive half. A quick pass in front of Princeton's net caught the Tigers off guard and allowed the Brown attack to draw the penalty shot. Another quick goal put the Bears up by two. The Tiger offense, led by Adele McCarthy-Beauvais and Cassie Nichols, went into action half way through the first quarter. Princeton would never loose the lead. A lofting goal in the first quarter, from Cassie Nichols, pulled the Tigers backing into the game. McCarthy-Beauvais quickly followed Nichols' goal, with a rocket from three meters out that slipped by the Brown goalie. Kixmiller put the Tigers ahead 3-2 with a last second goal at the end of the first quarter.
Brown was able to keep close, evening the score at 4-4 going into half time. In the opening minutes of the third quarter, McCarthy-Beauvais put the Tigers up 5-4 off a quick, one-time, ball that was passed in front of the net by Kixmiller. Kixmiller increased the Tiger lead when she scored her second goal of the day. Alina Brown scored her only goal of the game in the end of the third quarter, giving the Tigers a 7-5 lead going into the last quarter of play.
In the forth, the Bears pulled the score back to 7-6 and were threatening to even the board, when Tiger Goalie Jenny Hildebrand made a spectacular save to keep the Tigers in the lead. Hildebrand would make another great save later in the quarter, to keep the Tigers, who were now up 8-6, in the lead by a crucial two goal margin. Hildebrand finished the match with seven saves.
Jenny Edwards led the Tigers in assists with three and had five steals in the game.
Adele McCarthy-Beauvais, who has led the Tigers in scoring all season was named the ECAC Championships' MVP. In the final match today, McCarthy-Beavais scored three goals, giving her a total of 14 in the tournament. Adele is a threat at any distance in the pool, scoring today from 6-7 meters out and also from a few feet in front. She is one of the fastest swimmers on the team, controlling the ball at the beginning of every quarter, that she started, in today's match against Brown.
Head coach Luis Nicolao stated, " It was a great way for our seniors to finish their last game of their careers in Denunzio. It was nice to see them both score against Brown. I was really happy with our team effort this weekend. Now we have to keep it going into Southern Championships."
The Tigers will travel to Grove City, Pa. next weekend, April 7-8, to take part in the CWPA Southern Divisional Championships.
Results from ECAC Championships: April 1Princeton 9 Brown 6 1st place game Harvard 7 Hartwick 5 3rd place game GW 13 Gannon 5 5th place Brown 6 Harvard 3 Princeton 11 Hartwick 3
Princeton 9 Brown 6
Goals Nichols 1 McCarthy 3 Brown 1 Kixmiller 3 Edwards 1
Saves Hildebrand 7
Assists Edwards 3