Princeton University Athletics
Women's Water Polo Season Opens With Princeton Invitational This Weekend
February 08, 2005 | Women's Water Polo
Feb. 8, 2005
Princeton, N.J. - The Princeton women's water polo team opens the 2005 season this weekend when it hosts eight schools for the Princeton Invitational. Princeton's first game will also be the tournament's first, when the Tigers meet Villanova on Saturday at 9 a.m.
In addition to the Tigers, the two-day tournament at DeNunzio Pool will feature Brown, Bucknell, George Washington, Harvard, Marist, Maryland, Villanova and Wagner. The schedule of games can be found by clicking here.
Last season, Princeton went 3-1 at the Invitational, defeating Harvard, Marist and George Washington, and falling to Michigan. This year Princeton will face Villanova, Marist, Harvard and Brown in its pairings.
Last season, a young Tiger squad went 24-9 and won the Southern Division Championship before finishing sixth at the Eastern Championship. Below is a Q&A with Princeton coach Luis Nicolao about the upcoming season. Last year's roster included only two seniors while freshmen composed exactly half of the roster. Was the inexperience a challenge?
"There are many challenges during a season, but last year's inexperience was not a bad one. It is exciting to work with new players. A coach always has to deal with new players getting involved and although we had a few growing pains, the experience was a positive one. We finished 24-9 with a Southern title despite being so young."
The Tigers lost just two players to graduation and return their main scorers and goalie. Do you expect major improvements from last year?
"Every year we hope to improve and I am sure the year of experience our young players received will help us greatly. Last year we suffered some key injuries, but hopefully we can stay healthy this year."
Who are the key players this season?
"We focus on the team aspects. We return many players this year that will have great impacts, especially with another year of experience. It should be interesting to follow the development of our sophmore class. They played a tremendous amount as freshmen and it will be exciting to see their adjustments in their second season."
What are the team's strengths and weaknesses in 2005?
"Our main strength is that we will be one year older and one year more experienced. Any time you can have freshman and sophomores play vital minutes like we had last year, it will only make you stronger as they get older."
What are the goals and expectations for this season?
"Our goal is the same every year - to win the Eastern Championship, which we did in 2000. We are excited about this year's team and the potential we have to get back to the Eastern finals as the top team from the South."