Season Recap: No. 15 Princeton Reaches Third Straight CWPA Championship Game

PRINCETON, N.J. – The final Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Varsity Poll came out this week and the Princeton Tigers finished in the No. 15 position.

As the season came to an end last Sunday with Stanford earning the national title with a 9-8 decision over Stanford, let's take a look back at the 2019 campaign for the Tigers.

Signature Wins:
3/2/19 – at No. 15 Harvard - Amy Castellano's goal 37 seconds into overtime gave Princeton the win over its Ivy rival. Annie Robinson tied the game with 4:12 remaining before the two squads were dead-locked at six-all heading into the extra session. Marissa Webb had three saves in overtime as Princeton earned its first CWPA victory of the year. The two teams exchanged rallies in the second half as neither unit led by more than a goal. There were three ties and three lead changes before Robinson's equalizer.

3/30/19 – vs. No. 16 Wagner - No. 18 Princeton earned its sixth victory over a nationally ranked opponent with a thrilling 11-10 victory over the No. 16 Wagner Seahawks. Maddie Pendolino tied the contest for the fourth time with 6:45 left in the matchup. Eliza Britt, who was honored with Lindsey Kelleher for Senior Day before the game, picked the perfect time for her first goal and the game-winner. Castellano's fourth goal of the meeting provided an insurance tally. Webb made five saves in the fourth quarter as the Seahawks were held off the scoreboard for over nine minutes as Princeton secured the win.

4/27/19 – vs. No. 21 Bucknell – No. 15 Princeton earned its third straight berth in the CWPA Championship Game with an 11-5 victory over No. 21 Bucknell. The Bison registered the first goal of the second half, ending a scoreless streak that reach over 14 minutes of game action. Princeton countered with two tallies over the next 1:19 to go back ahead by five, 7-2. Bucknell snagged another goal with 16 seconds to go in the third frame, but did not score again until there was 41 seconds remaining in the game. By the time, Princeton had pushed its lead to seven and put the game out of reach.

Awards:
CWPA All-Conference: Amy Castellano (first team), Marissa Webb (second team), Lindsey Kelleher (second team), Eliza Britt (second team)
CWPA Coach of the Year: Derek Ellingson
CWPA Championships All-Tournament Team: Lindsey Kelleher (first team), Marissa Webb (second team), Amy Castellano (second team), Maddie Pendolino (second team) and Eliza Britt (second team)
CWPA Championships Coach of the Tournament: Derek Ellingson
CWPA Player of the Week: Amy Castellano (Feb. 18, Mar. 25), Eliza Britt (Apr. 15)
CWPA Defensive Player of the Week: Marissa Webb (Mar. 4, Apr. 1, Apr. 29)
CWPA Rookie of the Week: Laura Larkin (Mar. 11, Mar. 18, Apr. 1)

Notes: Princeton reached the 20-win milestone for the seventh time in the last eight seasons … The Tigers won eight games against nationally ranked foes and seven against schools from California … Amy Castellano led the Tigers in goals (74), shots (130), shooting percentage (.569), steals (47), blocks (13) and sprint wins (18) … Castellano's 74 goals are the eighth most in a single-season …Lindsey Kelleher's 51 helpers are the third most in single season while Castellano's 43 assists are eighth … Kelleher's 178 career assists are second most all-time … Four different Tigers scored at least 40+ goals while nine players had at least 10+ tallies … Marissa Webb went 15-9 with a .558 save percentage in goal for Princeton.

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