Princeton University Athletics
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Men's Water Polo Returns to Action Against Fordham, Iona
October 23, 2014 | Men's Water Polo
| Gametimes | Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014 Princeton vs. Fordham, 11:30 a.m. Princeton vs. Iona, 2:30 p.m. |
| @pwaterpolo l @PUTigers l @PUTigers_live | |
| Princeton Links |
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| Facility | DeNunzio Pool |
| Last Weekend | Princeton Downs Brown in Ivy Championship, 9-7 |
| Live Coverage | Ivy Digital Network |
The Week that Was
Princeton laid claim to its second consecutive Ivy Championship with a hard-fought 9-7 victory over Brown last Sunday. Defeating Dartmouth in the semifinals (18-6), the Tigers upended the Bears for the second time in as many years to improve to 15-3 on the season. Because of the Big Green's club status, only Princeton's win over Brown will count toward its overall record.
Eric Bowen and Jordan Colina had four goals apiece against Dartmouth, while Thomas Nelson and Curtis Fink each turned in a hat trick. Ryan Hammarskjold had a pair of scores. In the championship game against Brown, Nelson led all scorers with four goals, while Drew Hoffenberg had two goals and an assist. Colina chipped in with a goal and a helper, while Jamie Kuprenas and Jovan Jeremic accounted for Princeton's other two scores. Vojislav Mitrovic made eight saves.
Off and Running
With a 15-3 mark through its first 18 games, Princeton is off to its best start since the 2003 squad opened the year with a 17-2 ledger. After winning each of its first 10 games, the 2004 Tigers dropped four of their next six before rattling off 13-consecutive wins en route to a program-record 25 victories. In 1999, Princeton emerged victorious in 16 of its first 17 games, while last year's squad opened the year with a 14-4 mark.
Staying Hot
Garnering Co-CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week honors after an impressive showing during the Tigers' West Coast swing, Thomas Nelson continued to light up the scoreboard with seven goals at the Ivy Championship hosted by Brown. After turning in a hat trick against Dartmouth, Nelson matched a season-high with four goals against Brown in the final. Earlier this season, Nelson had four goal games against George Washington (9/28) and Navy (10/5). Currently ranked second on the team in goals (33), he has factored into the scoring in all but two of his appearances while netting at least three goals in a game in six outings this season. Not to be outdone, Vojislav Mitrovic followed up a CWPA Southern Division Defensive Player of the Week honor with an eight-save performance against Brown. On the year, the rookie netminder has posted an 11-2 record with a 0.583 save percentage.
Finding a Way
Part of Princeton's success this season has been due to its ability to pull out close games. In contests decided by two goals or less, the Tigers have posted an 8-1 record in 2014, with their lone loss coming to Johns Hopkins on Sept. 20 (10-9). Earlier in the year, Princeton clipped the Blue Jays, 10-8. Going 2-0 in overtime games, the Orange and Black defeated UC-Irvine on Sept. 14 (14-12) before besting Navy on Oct. 5 (11-10). This season, the Tigers also own close victories against George Washington (14-12), Loyola Marymount (9-7), UC-Davis (9-8) and Brown (9-7).
CWPA North-South Crossover
Princeton will host CWPA Northern Division programs Iona and Fordham along with Washington & Jefferson on Saturday, Oct. 25 for a set of four matches at DeNunzio Pool. Iona and Washington & Jefferson kick things off at 10 a.m. before the Tigers square off with the Rams at 11:30 a.m. Princeton returns to the pool to face the Gaels at 2:30 p.m. before Fordham and Washington & Jefferson close out the day at 4 p.m. Princeton's games will be broadcast on the Ivy Digital Network.
All-Time Series
Princeton is 11-0 all-time against Fordham with a 10-0 home record. Having already defeated Iona earlier this year, the Tigers are 21-0 all-time against the Gaels.
When Last We Met
Princeton secured an 11-6 victory over Fordham last season. Kayj Shannon and Jovan Jeremic each netted a hat trick, while Thomas Nelson and Sam Butler had two goals apiece. Bret Hinrichs chipped in with a goal and an assist.
Earlier this season at the Princeton Invitational, The Tigers dispatched of Iona, 20-11. Nelson, Jeremic, Hinrichs and Jamie Kuprenas each had three goals, while Bradley Wachtell and Eric Bowen had two goals apiece. Jordan Colina, Kevin Zhang, Kayj Shannon and Drew Hoffenberg accounted for the rest of Princeton's scores.
Scouting Fordham
Fordham enters this weekend's action having lost five straight to fall to 10-11 on the season. Last Saturday, the Rams were edged by Iona in the Judge Cup Championship game, 12-10. Andrew Gonzalez paced Fordham with three goals and two assists, while Bobby Wurtz had two goals and a steal. Eric Minowitz collected a goal, two assists and two steals, while Ori Raz and Davis DeFontes each had a goal and an assist. Noah LeBeau made nine saves in the loss.
Scouting Iona
Putting the brakes on an eight-game losing streak, Iona narrowly edged out Fordham last weekend, 12-10. Kyle Elmore, Jake Lloyd and Ian Thompson each had three goals, while James Ramaley, Rafael Romero and Chris Ellis netted a goal apiece. Senior goalie Mike Pufunt made 11 saves.