No. 16 George Washington Wins 14-13 Overtime Thriller Over No. 12 Princeton

Saturday, November 24

Princeton, N.J.

1:00 PM

Princeton University

George Washington

Photo by: Beverly Schaefer

No. 16 George Washington Wins 14-13 Overtime Thriller Over No. 12 Princeton

November 24, 2018 | Men's Water Polo

PRINCETON, N.J. – The No. 16 George Washington Colonials took 14-13 overtime thriller in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament over the No. 12 Princeton Tigers at DeNunzio Pool on Saturday afternoon.

The two teams played even in the first quarter, each scoring twice. Matt Payne recorded a hat trick in the first 2:31 of the second frame to put the Tigers in front, 5-2.

Princeton 5, GW 2 | 5:09 2nd
??????trick for Matt Payne! Timeout GW!
Watch - https://t.co/VMRfNnUeC3 pic.twitter.com/1BeTlLzrQL
— Princeton Water Polo (@Pwaterpolo) November 24, 2018

Princeton took a 6-4 advantage into halftime. Both teams exchanged goals as the second half got underway before three consecutive tallies extended the Tigers' lead to five, 11-6, with 3:36 left in the third quarter. George Washington closed with the last two goals of the frame to get within three (11-8) with eight minutes left.

George Washington's push continued with a goal from Heath Faulkner giving the road squad a 12-11 lead with 58 seconds to go. This tally by Michael Swart sent the game into overtime.

Princeton 12, GW 12 | 0:26 4th
Swart gets the Tigers alive!!
Watch - https://t.co/VMRfNnUeC3 pic.twitter.com/UTY3CcsKo3
— Princeton Water Polo (@Pwaterpolo) November 24, 2018

In the first portion of overtime, Alec Mendelsohn put the Tigers back in front 27 seconds in. George Washington countered with two straight and held Princeton off the scoreboard for the final 4:19 of action to secure the victory.

With the loss, the careers of Ryan Melosini, Ryan Wilson, Michael Swart, Matt Payne, P.J. Greenbaum and Oliver Schmickel reached a conclusion. The Class of 2019 won 84 games and two conference titles and appeared in two NCAA Tournaments.

Goals: Payne 4, Mendelsohn 2, Maloney 2, Benson 2, Swart, MacDonell,
Assists: R. Wilson 5, Cooper 2, Payne 2, Maloney, Conrad
Steals: Conrad 2, Motherway 2, Cooper, Swart, R. Wilson, Benson, Mendelsohn
Blocks: Payne, 2, Conrad 2, Cooper
Saves: Motherway 16