Players Mentioned
Men's Water Polo to Open West Coast Trip Against No. 1 UCLA
October 07, 2014 | Men's Water Polo
| Gametimes |
Thursday, Oct. 9 |
| @pwaterpolo l @PUTigers l @PUTigers_live | |
| Rosters | Princeton l UCLA |
| Schedule | Princeton l UCLA |
| Statistics | Princeton l UCLA |
| Last Meeting | Sept. 28, 2013 - UCLA 15, Princeton 3 (Recap) |
| SoCAL Tournament | SoCal Tournament Homepage |
| Last Weekend | Princeton Outlasts No. 19 Navy in Overtime, 11-10 |
THE WEEK THAT WAS
Princeton improved to 11-1 on the season and 6-1 in CWPA Southern Division play with a gritty 11-10 overtime victory over No. 19 Navy last Sunday. Getting the better of the Midshipmen for the second time this season, the Tigers held a 7-4 scoring edge in the fourth quarter and overtime to rally from a 6-4 second-half deficit. Jovan Jeremic had three goals, an assist and a steal, while Thomas Nelson netted four goals. Drew Hoffenberg finished with two goals, two steals and three drawn ejections, while Jordan Colina went 5-0 on sprints with a goal, assist and three steals. Vojislav Mitrovic made 10 saves to improve to 7-0 on the season.
LATE GAME HEROICS
With Princeton tied at 9-9 against Navy at the end of regulation, Jovan Jeremic recorded a pair of overtime goals to help the Tigers extend their win streak to five games. Finding the back of the net in the first extra session, Jeremic later notched the game winner on a man-up advantage with just 50 seconds remaining. In the midst of another solid season, Jeremic currently ranks second on the team in assists (13) while also chipping in with 16 goals.
OUT IN FRONT
Already one of the team's top contributors with 21 goals and 26 steals, Jordan Colina remains undefeated on sprints, posting a 26-0 mark thus far during his rookie campaign. Last Sunday, the freshman was 5-0 against Navy, helping Princeton take all six sprints in the overtime affair. On the year, the Tigers are 45-6 on sprints (0.882), which is on pace to remain the program's best mark in at least four seasons. In 2013, Princeton went 78-31 (0.716) after posting ledgers of 64-40 (0.615) and 66-70 (0.485) in 2012 and 2011, respectively.
STANDING TALL
Making an immediate impact in his rookie season, Vojislav Mitrovic has logged 220:00 minutes in net for Princeton, posting an unblemished 7-0 record. Making 15 saves in his collegiate debut against St. Francis, he had 16 stops the following day versus Johns Hopkins. Combining for 23 saves in a pair of games against Cal Baptist and UC-Irvine, he stopped 14 of the 21 shots he faced against Navy on Sept. 20. Recording 10 saves in each of his last two appearances against George Washington (9/28) and Navy (10/5), he has stopped 88 of the 141 shots he has faced en route to a 0.624 save percentage.
WEST COAST SWING
Princeton heads out to the West Coast this week beginning with a match-up against No. 1 UCLA on Thursday, Oct. 9. The Tigers will also compete this weekend at the Bruins' 16-team SoCAL Tournament on Oct. 11-12.
ALL-TIME SERIES
Princeton is 0-8 all-time against UCLA, with an 0-4 road record and 0-3 mark at neutral sites. UCLA took the inaugural meeting 13-3, while Princeton suffered a pair of close losses in 2002 (10-9) and 2004 (7-5 OT). Also taking the 2005 (14-6), 2006 (15-2) and 2009 (17-4) match-ups, UCLA has outscored the Tigers in the last two showdowns in 2012 and 2013, 35-6.
SCOUTING UCLA
The nation's top-ranked team, UCLA is a perfect 15-0 in 2014, outscoring opponents by a 264-62 margin. Last weekend, the Bruins earned a pair of wins over Pepperdine (15-7) and Loyola Marymount (12-2). Danny McClintick led the Bruins against Pepperdine with three goals, while Ryder Roberts, Paul Reynolds, Chris Fahlsing and Cristiano Mirarchi each had a pair of scores. Garrett Danner made 12 saves. Reynolds and Fahlsing each turned in a hat trick against Loyola Marymount, with Mirarchi posting his second two-goal effort in as many days.
Alex Roelse and Mirarchi currently lead UCLA in goals with 25 apiece. Reynolds and McClintick have found the back of the opposing net, 24 and 23 times, respectively, while Fahlsing rounds out the Bruins' top-five scorers with 17 goals. Garrett Danner has logged the majority of minutes in net, posting a 4.95 goals against average in nine starts. Stephen White is second on the team in goalkeeper minutes (154:34) while recording a 3.31 GAA.
SOCAL TOURNAMENT
After Thursday's tilt, Princeton will participate in the Bruins' SoCAL Tournament from Oct. 11-12. The Tigers open play on Saturday, Oct. 11 against No. 7 Pacific at 12:25 p.m. (EST) Should Princeton prevail it would face the winner of No. 2 Stanford and No. 17 Loyola Marymount at 6:05 p.m. A loss would see the Tigers square off with the loser of the Cardinal and Lions at 4:40 p.m. Just one of two East Coast based programs in a competitive 16-team field, Princeton will get an opportunity to test itself against the nation's elite, with every participating institution currently ranked in the CWPA top-20 poll.