Princeton University
UC-Irvine
Players Mentioned
Johnson Sets NCAA Record as No. 8 Princeton Falls to No. 6 UC-Irvine, 6-5
May 10, 2015 | Women's Water Polo
VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS
STANFORD, Calif. – Despite another stellar effort from standout junior goalie Ashleigh Johnson, the eighth-ranked Princeton University women's water polo team dropped a hard-fought 6-5 decision to No. 6 University of California-Irvine in the NCAA Championship fifth-place game at Avery Aquatic Center.
Tying her own program record with 22 saves, Johnson set a new NCAA Tournament single-game benchmark, surpassing Indiana's Jessica Goldner's previous best of 18. In Princeton's quarterfinal match-up against No. 2 Stanford, Johnson also recorded 18 stops.
Racking up 50 saves over three games, Johnson also set a new NCAA tournament record for saves. Making 18 stops against the Cardinal before making a combined 32 saves against Hawaii and UCI, she passed Southern California's Flora Bolonyai, who made 40 in three games during the 2013 championship.
Getting off to a hot start, Johnson turned away three shots in the game's opening minutes. With 2:52 left in the first quarter, Ashley Hatcher netted the game's first goal, beating UC-Irvine netminder Jillian Yocum on the near post.
Controlling possession at the start of the second period, the Anteaters continued to test Johnson. Collecting her own rebound, Mary Brooks finally broke through at 5:43 to momentarily pull UCI even. Taking advantage of an Anteaters' exclusion minutes later, Jessie Holechek found the back of the net to give the Tigers a 2-1 lead heading into the intermission.
Narrowly missing a couple of opportunities to tie the game early in the third, Emily Carlson rang a pair of shots off the post. Just inside the five-minute mark, Brooks struck again, netting her second of the game to make it 2-2. Beating Johnson to a long outlet, Danielle Warde slipped a shot into the back of the cage at 2:54 to give UC-Irvine its first lead.
Stemming the Anteater tide, Princeton's Emily Smith came up with an answer just 20 seconds later, rattling a hard shot off the crossbar and in to pull the Tigers level. Fighting off a pair of UC-Irvine defenders in front, Chelsea Johnson put away her first of the day to stake the Orange and Black to a 4-3 margin.
Wasting little time tying it in the fourth, Brooks notched her third tally with 6:41 remaining in regulation. With less than five minutes to play, Hatcher made good on a Princeton power play, skipping a shot past Yocum to put the Tigers back on top.
Just 15 seconds later, Warde helped UC-Irvine net a power play goal of its own, making it 5-5. After Hatcher hit the post on the other end, Brooks raced forward and put in her fourth score to break the deadlock. With just 1:17 remaining, Princeton earned an exclusion, but Smith's shot was blocked down by Yocum, sealing the Anteaters' win.
Hatcher finished with two goals on six shots, while C. Johnson, Holechek and Smith accounted for the Tigers' other three scores. Haley Wan nabbed a pair of steals, while Sydney Cheong and Pippa Temple each had a block.
Sunday's game marked the last for the Class of 2015. Together, Hatcher, Holechek, CeCe Coffey, Taylor Dunstan, Kelly Gross and Camille Hooks helped Princeton to a 119-19 (0.862) mark, making three trips to the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers' 31 wins in 2015 tied a program record set last season.
Goals: Hatcher 2, C. Johnson 1, Holechek 1, Smith 1
Steals: A. Johnson 3, Wan 2
Ejections Drawn: C. Johnson 1, Wan 1, Dunstan 1, Holechek 1
Blocks: Cheong 1, Temple 1
Sprints: Wan 0-3, Gross 0-1
Saves: A. Johnson 22