Princeton University Athletics
Princeton Meets UCLA in NCAA Men's Water Polo Final Four
December 01, 2004 | Men's Water Polo
Dec. 1, 2004
Princeton, N.J. - On March 14, 1996, the Princeton men's basketball team knocked off higher-seeded UCLA, 43-41, to advance in the NCAA Basketball Tournament. This weekend, the Princeton men's water polo team hopes to have that history on its side when it competes at the 2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center. Princeton and UCLA will meet in Saturday's second semifinal game at 5 p.m. Pacific time.
The winner of the Princeton-UCLA game will meet the winner of the day's first game between Stanford and Loyola Marymount on Sunday at 2 p.m. Pacific time. The championship game will be televised live nationally on CSTV (Direct TV Channel 610). There will be a third-place game played on Sunday at 12:30 p.m. Pacific time.
Princeton assistant coach Derek Ellingson appeared on CSTV Sunday night when the field was announced. Click here to watch the video.
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Hello California... The Princeton men's water polo team makes its second NCAA appearance and its first since 1992 this weekend at the 2004 NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship, hosted by Stanford at the Avery Aquatic Center.
How'd Princeton Get Here... The Tigers qualified for the NCAA Championships with a gut-wrenching 3-2 quadruple overtime win over St. Francis in the CWPA Eastern Championships. With the win, the Tigers earned one of the three automatic bids into the field of four.
Who Else is Here... The Tigers are the only team in the field that does not call California home. The tournament's host, Stanford, qualified by winning the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation championship over UCLA last weekend. Loyola Marymount qualified two weekends ago by claiming the Western Water Polo Association championship and UCLA was selected with an at-large bid.
New Kids on the Block... Princeton made its first and only NCAA men's water polo appearance in 1992. In that championship, which was then comprised of eight participants, Princeton went 0-3 and placed eighth. Princeton fell to Stanford 18-5, UC San Diego 14-9 and Navy 14-9 and the championship was hosted in Long Beach, Calif.
More Familiar Surroundings... Stanford, UCLA and Loyola Marymount are much more familiar to being around the NCAA Championships. Stanford will be making its 27th NCAA appearance and UCLA will be making its 26th. Stanford has won two of the last three national championships and was the runner-up a year ago to Southern California and has eight national titles to its credit. UCLA last won it all in 2000 and last appeared in 2001 and has seven titles. Loyola Marymount has been in two of the last three championships and is making its third this weekend.
Princeton vs. UCLA... Princeton and UCLA will meet in the second semifinal on Saturday. Princeton and UCLA have only played once before in men's water polo. That meeting came two seasons ago, and was a 10-9 Bruin win in the opening round of the Nor Cal Tournament. This season the two teams had several common opponents. UCLA is 10-2 in those games with both losses coming to Stanford. Princeton is 6-3 in those games with losses to Stanford, UC Santa Barbara and Long Beach State.
Princeton vs. Stanford... Should Princeton face Stanford on Sunday, the Tigers and Cardinal would be meeting for the second time this season as Stanford posted a 15-4 win over Princeton on Oct. 1. That is the only meeting between the two since Princeton water polo became a varsity sport in 1996. Princeton and Stanford did meet in the 1992 NCAA Championship, a game which Stanford won 18-5.
Princeton vs. Loyola Marymount... Should Princeton face Loyola Marymount on Sunday, the Tigers and Lions would be meeting for only the third time. Princeton won 13-11 in the first meeting in 1997 while Loyola Marymount won 9-8 during the 2000 season.
Record Season... Princeton's win over St. Francis in the Eastern Championship game was the Tigers 25th of the season. That win set a new single-season win mark for a Princeton water polo team, eclipsing the mark of 24 set in the 2001 season.
Championships... So far this season, the Tigers have taken top honors at three tournaments. Princeton opened the season by taking the Princeton Invitational, and has won the Southern and Eastern Championships to qualify for the NCAA Championship. This season's Southern title was Princeton's fourth overall and it's second consecutive. The Eastern title was Princeton's second, with the first coming in 1992.
All-America... Princeton goalkeeper Peter Sabbatini and driver John Stover each earned All-America status last season. Sabbatini was the third-team goalkeeper while Stover was an honorable mention. Both are strong All-American candidates for this season.
Scoring Leaders... John Stover leads all Princeton players with 69 goals this season. That mark is the third best single-season goal total for a Tiger. Nicholas Seaver ranks second on the team with 45 goals, the 10th best single-season effort for a Tiger scorer.
Keeping the Goal... Peter Sabbatini backstopped the Tigers to 15 wins this season, including Princeton's run through Southern's and Eastern's. He is 15-4 on the season and has made 186 saves. Scott Syverson played in the other 10 games and posted a 10-0 record.
Individual Player Honors... Several Tigers have received honors from the CWPA this season. John Stover was named the Southern Player of the Year and was also named first-team All-Southern, along with teammate Peter Sabbatini. Reid Joseph was named second-team All-Southern. Four Tigers received All-Eastern Tournament honors. Along with being named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, Sabbatini was named to the first team along with Stover. Joseph and Jamal Motlagh were named to the second team, while Luis Nicolao was named the Dick Russell Coach of the Year.