Princeton University Athletics
Water Polo Travels to Easterns With NCAA Berth in Sights
November 11, 2004 | Men's Water Polo
Nov. 11, 2004
Princeton, N.J. - The Princeton men's water polo team will compete at the CWPA Eastern Championships this weekend with hopes of securing the program's second Eastern Championship and a trip to the NCAA Water Polo Championships Dec. 4-5 at Stanford. Princeton's lone Eastern Championship came in 1992. Last season the Tigers made it to the championship game, but lost to Navy.
Princeton enters the weekend off its Southern Championship, won two weekends ago in its home pool. Princeton rallied from behind in the final game of the Championship to defeat Navy 10-9. Princeton defeated Mercyhurst, Grove City College and Bucknell on its way to the win. By claiming the Southern Championship, Princeton earned the top seed for Easterns and will face MIT, the fourth seed out of the north, Saturday at 9 a.m.
Princeton's second round opponent will come from Saturday's second game, which features Harvard and Salem International. The other two first-round games are Saint Francis against Bucknell and Navy against Brown. Princeton enters the weekend with a record of 22-4 overall. One win will give the Tigers, 23, which will equal the record of last season, and two wins will tie the Princeton single-season win mark. Three wins would give Princeton 25 for the year, a new Tiger record, and that third win would come in the Eastern Championship final game.
Princeton is led in the pool by All-America goalkeeper Peter Sabbatini. He has a 12-4 record and was an integral part of Princeton's Southern Championship win two weeks ago. Offensively, John Stover leads the team with 61 goals. Nicholas Seaver ranks second with 35.
Eastern Championship Schedule
Saturday, November 13
9 a.m. • Game 1 • South 1 - Princeton vs. North 4 - MIT
10:30 a.m. • Game 2 • North 2 - Harvard vs. South 3 - Salem International
12 p.m. • Game 3 • North 1 - St. Francis vs. South 4 - Bucknell
1:30 p.m. • Game 4 • South 2 - Navy vs. North 3 - Brown
4 p.m. • Game 5 • Loser of Game 2 vs. Loser of Game 1
5:15 p.m. • Game 6 • Loser of Game 4 vs. Loser of Game 3
6:30 p.m. • Game 7 • Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2
7:45 p.m. • Game 8 • Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4
Sunday, November 14
9 a.m. • Seventh Place Game • Loser of Game 6 vs. Loser of Game 5
10:30 a.m. • Fifth Place Game • Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6
12 p.m. • Third Place Game • Loser of Game 8 vs. Loser of Game 7
1:30 p.m. • First Place Game • Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8