Princeton University Athletics
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Men's Water Polo Heads to Navy for 2014 CWPA Championship
November 20, 2014 | Men's Water Polo
| Gametime | 2014 CWPA Championship * Nov. 21-23 Lejeune Hall * Annapolis, Md. |
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BACK IN ACTION
After a two-week layoff, Princeton returns to action this weekend at the CWPA Championship hosted by the United States Naval Academy. Carrying a 10-game win streak into Friday's opener, the Tigers recently laid claim to the Southern Division Championship. Dispatching of Gannon (17-8), Princeton held off Johns Hopkins in the semifinals (8-6) before defeating Bucknell in the title tilt. Trailing 9-5 early in the third quarter, the Tigers rallied past the Bison, netting what proved to be the game winner with just over a minute remaining in regulation.
WINNING WAYS
With a 21-3 (7-1 Southern) record, Princeton earned the No. 2 overall seed at this weekend's CWPA Championship and 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 a school-record 13-consecutive wins en route to a program-best 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.
CLIMBING THE LADDER
Princeton earned a No. 8 ranking in this week's CWPA poll, matching the program's best showing achieved earlier this season. Ranked 13th during the preseason, the Tigers moved up two spots to 11th before jumping three more spots into a tie with UC-San Diego on Sept. 17. Princeton's ranking is the highest by a men's team from the East Coast in the poll's modern era (post 2006), breaking the previous mark of No. 9 set by St. Francis on Dec. 5, 2012. The Tigers finished ninth in the final 2004 CWPA poll – the first time Princeton ever closed out the season in the top-10. The Orange and Black also earned a No. 9 ranking early in the 2005 season and were 10th in the final poll of 2009 and 2011.
FAMILIAR GROUND
Princeton enters this weekend's competition in search of a fourth Eastern Championship. The Tigers captured their first Eastern crown in 2004, defeating St. Francis in quadruple overtime, 3-2. In the 2009 title tilt, Princeton upended Navy in the championship 5-4. The Tigers once again dispatched of the Midshipmen in 2011 to claim their third Eastern crown. Last season, the Orange and Black fell in the title game to St. Francis, 11-9.
LEADING THE WAY
An integral part of Princeton's success this season, Drew Hoffenberg racked up 10 goals in three games at the Southern Championship en route to Southern Division Player of the Week honors. Hoffenberg opened the week with a three-goal, four-assist effort against Gannon. Turning in another hat trick against Johns Hopkins, he also drew two ejections and made a pair of blocks. In the final against Bucknell, he recorded four scores on eight shots with two assists, two drawn ejections, and a steal.
Scoring at least three goals in five straight games, he currently leads the team in goals (57) while ranking second in assists (24) and steals (38). He is currently fourth on the program charts in career goals (233) and second in assists (125). Leading the team in scoring in each of his four seasons, Hoffenberg is the only Tiger to ever register at least 200 goals and 100 helpers.
COMING INTO HIS OWN
Freshman Jordan Colina has made the most of his opportunities in 2014-15, emerging as one of the squad's top contributors. Starting 17 of the team's games this season, Colina has found the back of the opposing cage in all but one of his appearances, tallying at least three goals in seven of his outings. Netting a season-high six scores against Iona on Oct. 25, he currently ranks second on the team in goals, while leading the Tigers in steals (42). Colina has also gone 63-6 (.913) in sprints this season.
FILLING UP THE STAT SHEET
A staple in the Princeton lineup, Jamie Kuprenas has done a little bit of everything for the Tigers this season. Leading the team in assists (29), he has factored into the scoring in 19 of his appearances, having also scored 17 goals. Among the team's leaders in steals (26), he is third on the squad in ejections drawn (23) and tied for first in blocks (9).
GETTING DEFENSIVE
Making an immediate impact in his first full season, Vojislav Mitrovic has logged 575:37 minutes in 19 appearances, posting a 16-2 overall record. Recording double-digit saves in each of his eight outings, he made a season-high 16 stops against Johns Hopkins (9/7), Loyola Marymount (10/11) and Iona (10/25). Stopping 216 of the 370 shots he has faced this season, Mitrovic enters the CWPA Championship with a 0.584 save percentage.
CWPA CHAMPIONSHIP
The 20-game CWPA Championship features eight contests on Friday, Nov. 21 before the tournament concludes with six games on both Saturday and Sunday, Nov. 22-23. Five automatic and one at-large team hail from the Southern Division, while three automatic and three at-large programs come from the Northern Division.
Fans attending the CWPA Championship can pay for either a three-day tournament pass ($25) or a one-day pass ($10). All of this weekend's games will be streamed online at a cost of $10 per game or $25 for a weekend pass. Live statistics will also be available for all of the matches.
Championship Seeding
1st Seed - Brown University (Northern Division Champion)
2nd Seed - Princeton University (Southern Division Champion)
3rd Seed - Harvard University (Northern Division Runner-Up)
4th Seed - Bucknell University (Southern Division Runner-Up)
5th Seed - St. Francis College Brooklyn (Northern Division Third Place)
6th Seed - United States Naval Academy (Southern Division Third Place)
7th Seed - Johns Hopkins University (Southern Division Fourth Place)
8th Seed - George Washington University (Southern Division Fifth Place)
9th Seed - Fordham University (At-Large/Northern Division Fourth Place)
10th Seed - Massachusetts Institute of Technology (At-Large/Northern Division Fifth Place)
11th Seed - Iona College (At-Large/Northern Division Seventh Place)
12th Seed - Washington & Jefferson College (At-Large/Southern Division Sixth Place)
Complete Schedule
Friday, Nov. 21
1 – George Washington vs. Fordham (10 a.m.)
2 – Johns Hopkins vs. MIT (11:20 a.m.)
3 – Navy vs. Iona (12:40 p.m.)
4 – St. Francis vs. Washington & Jefferson (2 p.m.)
5 – Brown vs. Winner Game 1 (3:20 p.m.)
6 – Princeton vs. Winner Game 2 (4:40 p.m.)
7 – Harvard vs. Winner Game 3 (6 p.m.)
8 – Bucknell vs. Winner Game 4 (7:20 p.m.)
Saturday, Nov. 22
9 – Loser G1 vs. Loser G4 (11:30 a.m.)
10 – Loser G2 vs. Loser G3 (12:45 p.m.)
11 – Loser G8 vs. Loser G5 (2 p.m.)
12 – Loser G7 vs. Loser G6 (3:15 p.m.)
13 – Winner G5 vs. Winner G8 (4:30 p.m.)
14 – Winner G6 vs. Winner G7 (5:45 p.m.)
Sunday, Nov. 23
15 – Loser G10 vs. Loser G9 (9 a.m. – 11th place)
16 – Winner G9 vs. Winner G10 (10:20 a.m. – 9th place)
17 – Loser G12 vs. Loser G11 (11:40 a.m. – 7th place)
18 – Winner G11 vs. Winner G12 (1 p.m. – 5th place)
19 – Loser G14 vs. Loser G13 (2:30 p.m. – 3rd place)
20 – Winner G13 vs. Winner G14 (4 p.m. – 1st place)