Princeton University Athletics
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No. 12 Princeton Men's Water Polo Ready to Host George Washington, Bucknell
September 26, 2014 | Men's Water Polo
| Gametimes | Sunday, Sept. 28 Princeton vs. George Washington - 11 a.m. Princeton vs. Bucknell - 3 p.m. |
| @pwaterpolo l @PUTigers l @PUTigers_live | |
| Rosters | Princeton l George Washington l Bucknell |
| Statistics | Princeton l George Washington l Bucknell |
| Last Meeting |
Princeton 17, George Washington 7 (Oct. 25, 2013) |
| Last Weekend | Princeton Splits With Johns Hopkins, Navy l Princeton Clips George Washington |
| Live Coverage |
Ivy Digital Network |
The Week that Was
Navigating a tough Southern Division swing, Princeton split a pair of games with Johns Hopkins (L, 10-9) and Navy (W, 12-7) last Saturday before clipping George Washington, 14-12. Playing the Blue Jays for the second time this season, the Tigers went into the final period with a slim 8-7 margin, but Johns Hopkins accounted for three of the final four scores to pull out the comeback victory. Squaring off with Navy in the nightcap, Princeton used a big 6-0 second quarter run to take a 9-1 lead into the intermission. While the Midshipmen held a 3-2 scoring edge in the third, the Orange and Black netted three of the four goals in the final frame to win going away. Closing out the weekend at George Washington, the Tigers held a 9-7 scoring edge in the first half before battling the Colonials to a 5-5 tie over the final 16 minutes.
Shouldering the Load
Shouldering the bulk of the offensive load, Curtis Fink, Drew Hoffenberg, Connor McGoldrick and Jordan Colina accounted for 24 of the team's 35 goals last weekend. Princeton's quartet scored six of the nine goals against Johns Hopkins with Fink turning in his first hat trick of the season (second overall). Against Navy, Hoffenberg and Colina combined for seven tallies, with McGoldrick also getting on the board. In the Tigers' final game, McGoldrick posted a career-best four goals while Colina and Hoffenberg each had a hat trick.
Getting There First
Led by Jordan Colina, Princeton has posted a 32-5 (0.865) mark in sprints this season. As a team, the Tigers went 12-0 in sprints last weekend against Johns Hopkins, Navy and George Washington, with Colina posting a 9-0 record. On the season, the freshman remains unbeaten with a 17-0 ledger. Thomas Nelson is 11-3 on sprints in 2014, while Curtis Fink, Bret Hinrichs and Connor McGoldrick have combined to go 4-2. Last year, the Tigers went 78-31 (0.716) on sprints, while posting a 64-40 (0.615) mark in 2012 and 66-70 (0.485) record in 2011.
Leading the Way
Leading Princeton in scoring in each of his first three seasons, senior Drew Hoffenberg is once again serving as one of the main catalysts to the Tiger attack with a team-high 22 goals and 11 assists. Registering just two goals in his first three games this year, he has netted at least three goals in five of his last six outings. Managing just one goal against Johns Hopkins, Hoffenberg dished out a season-high four assists before recording seven goals and two helpers against Navy and George Washington. As a junior, Hoffenberg posted 66 goals and 32 assists while amassing 110 goals and 69 helpers in his first two seasons.
Making an Impact
Seeing action in each of the team's nine games, freshmen Jordan Colina, Connor McGoldrick and Eric Bowen have played an integral role in the Tigers' 8-1 start. Going 17-0 on sprints, Colina currently ranks second on the squad in goals (16) and steals (16), while Bowen has drawn seven ejections with seven goals and three steals. Tallying nine goals in his first nine games, McGoldrick hit his first career milestone last Sunday with four goals on just four shots against George Washington. On the other end of the pool, Vojislav Mitrovic has posted a 5-0 record, stopping 68 of the 104 shots he has faced (0.654).
Déjà vu
Princeton will square off with George Washington for the second time in as many weeks, having already defeated the Colonials last Sunday in Washington, D.C., 14-12. Connor McGoldrick keyed the Princeton attack, netting four goals on four shots. Drew Hoffenberg, Jordan Colina and Jovan Jeremic each posted a hat trick, with Jeremic also adding four assists. Coming off of his first loss of the season, Alex Gow was solid in net, making 13 saves. Princeton carries a 35-1 overall record against George Washington into this weekend's match-up with a 14-0 home record.
When Last We Met
Princeton and Bucknell split last season's series, with each team picking up a victory in its home pool. Spurring the Tigers to a win at DeNunzio, Jovan Jeremic netted three goals, while Thomas Nelson and Drew Hoffenberg each had two goals and three assists. Hoffenberg paced Princeton in a 12-5 loss in Lewisburg, Pa. with two goals, while Nelson, Jamie Kuprenas and Kayj Shannon each recorded a goal. The Orange and Black lead the all-time series 39-14 heading into Sunday's showdown with a 17-3 mark at home.
Scouting George Washington
Racing out to a 6-1 start, George Washington dropped a pair of Southern Division contests to Bucknell (L, 14-8) and Princeton (L, 14-12) last weekend. Pierce Deamer, Brian Mojica and Ridvan Pehlivan each had two goals against the Bison, with Bogdan Petkovic posting two assists and three steals. Pehlivan paced the Colonial offense against the Tigers with six goals, while Deamer turned in a hat trick. Mojica had four assists, while Petkovic added two assists and two steals. Mojica currently leads George Washington with 39 points (24G, 15A), followed by Petkovic and Pehlivan with 33 (15G, 18A) and 28 (21G, 7A) points, respectively. Connor Dillon and Sander Profaci have split time in net this season, combining for a 9.37 goals against average and 0.503 save percentage.
Scouting Bucknell
Bucknell went 1-2 against Navy, George Washington and Johns Hopkins on Sept. 20-21. Grant Curry had three goals, while Nick Hale, R.J. Moore, Ratimir Babic and Tommy Stupp each had two scores for the Bison in a 14-8 victory over George Washington. Hale led Bucknell with two tallies in an 8-4 loss to the Midshipmen. Stefan Aleksic, Sean Daley and Jeff Hagen each recorded a hat trick in a 14-12 setback against Johns Hopkins, while Keegan Williams matched a season-high with 14 saves. Aleksic currently leads the team in points with 30 (21G, 9A). Curry sits second on the squad in scoring with 24 points (19G, 5A) while Hale and Daley have 22 and 20 points, respectively. Logging the majority of the minutes in net, Williams has recorded a 0.561 save percentage.