Princeton University Athletics
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No. 11 Men's Water Polo Set to Host 2015 Princeton Invitational
September 10, 2015 | Men's Water Polo
• The Tigers opened the 2015 season with a 3-0 showing at the Navy Invitational last weekend in Annapolis, Md.
• Cruising past its competition, Princeton finished with a +42 (53-11) goal differential through its first three games.
• The Orange and Black opened the year with a lopsided 18-2 decision over Division III No. 8 Cal Lutheran.
• After powering past Iona, 20-3, Princeton closed out the weekend with a 15-6 triumph over Gannon.
• The Tigers' 20 goals against the Gaels matched the team's season-high from 2014, also set against Iona.
• As a team, Princeton posted a 0.564 shot percentage and went 9-3 (0.750) on sprints.
STANDING PAT
• Tied for 11th with defending CWPA champion Brown in the conference's preseason varsity top-20, the Tigers retained the No. 11 spot following a 3-0 showing at the Navy Invitational.
• Going 3-1 during the opening weekend with a 19-6 loss to No. 4 Stanford, Brown fell to No. 13 in the weekly CWPA poll.
• Slotted 13th in last season's preseason poll, the Tigers climbed as high as No. 8, becoming the highest-ranked men's program from the East Coast in the modern era (post-2006).
NATIONAL STAGE
• The Tigers' showdown with No. 5 Pacific on Sunday, Sept. 13 (12 p.m.) will be broadcast on ESPNU.
• Last season, Princeton posted a 13-3 record against teams ranked in the final CWPA varsity top-20 poll, with its only losses coming to No. 1 UCLA, No. 8 Pacific, and No. 8 Brown.
• At last year's SoCAL Tournament (Oct. 11), the Tigers dropped a 12-7 decision to Pacific. Trailing 5-4 at the intermission, the Orange and Black were outscored 7-3 over the final 16 minutes.
• Returning Princeton players Jordan Colina, Jovan Jeremic, and Curtis Fink accounted for three of the Tigers' goals, with Fink and Colina combining for five steals. Colina also finished 3-1 on sprints, while Thomas Nelson had an assist and a steal. Vojislav Mitrovic finished with nine saves.
• Princeton is 2-3 all-time against Pacific.
• The Tigers won the inaugural meeting in 2003, 11-7. Pacific edged out its eastern counterparts in 2006, 16-15, while Princeton prevailed in 2008, 12-10. The following season, Pacific earned a 7-5 win before dispatching of the Orange and Black last year, 12-7.
• Princeton last played on ESPNU on Sept. 13, 2013, defeating No. 16 Santa Clara, 9-7.
OFF TO THE RACES
• All but one Tiger who saw action recorded a goal last weekend, with four different Princeton players tallying at least five scores.
• As a team, Princeton shot 0.564 percent, netting 53 goals on 94 shots.
• Princeton also finished 9-3 on sprints, led by freshman Michael Swart, who was 4-2. Jordan Colina and Matt Payne each went 2-0, while Bret Hinrichs was 1-1.
• Last season, the Tigers finished 93-19 (0.830) on sprints.
• Equally as impressive on the defensive end, Princeton surrendered just 11 goals in three games, with goalies Vojislav Mitrovic and Ryan Melosini combining for a 0.766 save percentage.
LEADING THE CHARGE
• Thomas Nelson was named the CWPA Southern Division Player of the Week after a stellar showing at the Navy Invitational.
• In three games, Nelson posted a 0.625 shot percentage, finishing with 10 goals on 16 shots.
• Making an impact in other ways, Nelson also collected seven assists, five steals, and two blocks, while drawing a pair of ejections.
• Enjoying a career day in the team's season-opening win over Cal Lutheran, Nelson set a pair of personal benchmarks with six goals and four assists, while also nabbing four steals.
• Continuing to shine, Nelson had four goals on nine shots in a pair of games with Iona and Gannon with three assists.
• The CWPA honor was the sixth in Nelson's career. Last season, he shared Southern Player of the Week honors with teammate Sam Butler '15 on Oct. 20 before winning the award outright the following week.
• A three-time ACWPC honorable mention All-America selection, Nelson's 137 career goals rank 10th on the program's career charts.
SHARING THE LOAD
• Princeton received big contributions from a trio of returning players last weekend in Jordan Colina, Eric Bowen, and Vojislav Mitrovic.
• Colina and Bowen closed out the first weekend of play tied for second on the squad in goals (9), while combining for nine steals, four assists, and nine drawn ejections.
• Colina had two goals, two assists and three steals in the opener before netting four goals on five shots against Iona. He closed out the tournament with three goals on four shots versus Gannon.
• Netting five goals, while collecting three steals and two assists in his first two appearances of the season, Bowen scored on all four of his shots against Gannon, setting a career-high with four goals.
• Picking up where he left off last season, Mitrovic was superb in net, going 2-0 on the week. Turning away 13 of the 14 shots he has faced, he has posted a 0.929 save percentage through the his first 32 minutes this season.
WELCOME TO THE SHOW
• Princeton freshmen Ryan Wilson, Michael Swart, Matt Payne, and Ryan Melosini each saw their first collegiate action last weekend.
• Making an immediate impact, Wilson, Swart, and Payne combined for 11 goals, 11 assists, and eight steals.
• Starting one of his three appearances, Swart had five goals on 10 shots, while picking up three assists and two steals. Payne netted four scores, with three assists and four steals, while Wilson had two goals, five assists, and two steals.
• Playing in all three of Princeton's games, Melosini stopped 10 of the 23 shots he faced in 64:00 minutes en route to a 0.697 save percentage.
• Making his first collegiate start against Gannon, Melosini finished with 12 saves while leading the Tigers to a 15-6 victory.
2015 PRINCETON INVITATIONAL SCHEDULE
Friday, Sept. 11
1 Princeton vs. Diablo Valley - 2 p.m. (ILDN)
2 St. Francis vs. Pacific - 5 p.m.
3 Iona vs. Diablo Valley - 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 12
4 St. Francis vs. Diablo Valley - 9 a.m.
5 Iona vs. Santa Clara - 10:30 a.m.
6 Harvard vs. Pacific - 12 p.m.
7 Diablo Valley vs. PTAC - 1:30 p.m.
8 St. Francis vs. Santa Clara - 3 p.m.
9 Iona vs. Pacific - 4:30 p.m.
10 Princeton vs. Harvard - 6 p.m. (ILDN)
Sunday, Sept. 13
11 Harvard vs. Diablo Valley - 8:30 a.m.
12 Brown vs. Santa Clara - 10 a.m.
13 Princeton vs. Pacific - 12 p.m. (ESPNU)
14 Harvard vs. Santa Clara - 2 p.m.
15 Brown vs. Pacific - 3:30 p.m.
*Princeton's games against Diablo Valley and Harvard will be streamed on the Ivy League Digital Network.*