Tournament Central
The 10th-ranked Tiger women's water polo team swept day two
action at the Princeton Invitational Saturday at DeNunzio Pool. The squad
opened with 15-3 victory over Villanova, setting the tone for the rest of the
day. The Tigers followed that up with a 20-6 win versus George Washington and
wrapped up the afternoon handing Harvard an 11-7 loss.
Princeton improves to 3-1 with the victories and will play
NYAC (New York Athletic Club) Sunday, Feb. 10 at 12 noon in an exhibition
contest.
The Wildcats scored the game's first goal at 6:55, but it was
the only advantage Villanova held for the remainder of the contest.
Princeton responded to its deficit with 14 unanswered goals
through the third quarter, outscoring the Wildcats 15-2 over the final 30:30
minutes of play.
Jessie Holechek and Saranna Soroka's three goals apiece led the
eight Tiger scorers. Freshmen Kimi Klein and Pippa Temple each netted their
first career goals in the winning effort.
Defensively, Ashley Hatcher led the squad with five steals,
while seniors Laura Martinez and Soroka had four and three, respectively.
In goal, Ashleigh Johnson made seven saves in the first
half. Holecheck took over goal tending duties in the third quarter and Molly
McBee in the fourth. Both second half goalies recorded a save in their career
debuts in the cage.
No. 10 Princeton: 6
- 6 - 2 - 1 - 15
Villanova: 1 - 0
- 1 - 1 - 3
Goals: Coffey 1,
Soroka 3, Hatcher 2, McBee 2, Temple 2, Klein 1, Holechek 3, Murphy 1
Assists: Soroka
1, McBee 1, Dunstan 3, Temple 1, Zwirner 1, Holchek 1, Martinez 1, Gross 1,
Murphy 1, Johnson 2
Steals: Soroka 3,
Hatcher 5, Martinez 4, Gross 1, Johnson 2
Saves: Johnson
(16:00) 7, Holechek (8:00) 1, McBee (8:00) 1
Carrying their momentum from their morning victory, the
Tigers put together another dominating performance, 20-6, over George
Washington.
McBee, Diana Murphy and Katie Rigler each netted a pair of
goals to guide the Tigers to a 7-1 advantage in the first quarter.
Rigler was one of six multi-goal scorers, tallying a
game-high four goals. Hatcher, Murphy and Soroka each scored three times and
McBee added a pair.
Behind the early momentum and a steadfast defense, Princeton
only conceded two goals in the first half to go into halftime leading 11-2.
After the break, the Tigers concluded the game riding a 9-4
run to earn their second win of the year.
No. 10 Princeton: 7
- 4 - 6 - 3 - 20
George Washington:
1 - 1 - 2 - 2 - 6
Goals: Soroka 3,
Hatcher, 3, McBee 2, Rigler 4, Temple 3, Klein 1, Martinez 1, Murphy 3
Assists: Hatcher
1, Rigler 1, Temple 2, Zwirner 1, Gyorffy 2, Holechek 1, Martinez 1, Gross 1,
Johnson 1
Steals: Hatcher
1, McBee 1, Temple 2, Gyorffy 2, Martinez 3, Gross 1, Rigler 1
Saves: Johnson
(24:00) 12, Rigler (8:00) 3
In the final varsity game for the Tigers of the tournament,
goalie Johnson nearly tied her freshly minted single-game saves record with 18
as Princeton dropped Harvard 11-7.
The Tigers jumped out to a 6-2 lead by halftime and their
offensive surge was enough to carry through the second half.
McBee led the way with three goals, bringing her total to
seven on the day, while Soroka made it eight goals behind a pair versus the
Crimson.
As the offense found firepower throughout the lineup, the
Johnson-led defense again worked nearly seamlessly shutting down another
opponent. Princeton recorded 10 steals with Soroka and Brittany Zwirner leading
the way with three and two, respectively.
No. 10 Princeton: 2
- 4 - 2 - 3 - 11
Harvard: 0 - 2 -
3 - 2 - 7
Goals: Soroka 2,
Hatcher 1, McBee 3, Rigler 1, Gyorffy 1, Holechek 1, Gross 2
Assists: McBee 1,
Rigler 1, Zwirner 1, Gyorffy 1, Johnson 1
Steals: Soroka 3,
McBee 1, Dunstan 1, Zwirner 2, Klein 1, Gyorffy 1, Gross 1
Saves: Johnson 18
