Eastern Bracket

A second quarter four-goal rally and a tough defensive line propelled the No. 20 Princeton men's water polo team past No. 14 Brown, 10-7, in the opening round of the CWPA Eastern Championship Friday at DeNunzio Pool.

The Tigers (16-11) will now face Bucknell in the semifinals on Saturday, Nov. 17 at 4:30 p.m. The Bison defeated Harvard, 15-13, in their quarterfinal game.

Brown would find the net first in the opening quarter, but a pair of goals by Tim Wenzlau and Drew Hoffenberg evened the score at two-all entering the second.

The Bears worked to retake control of the game before halftime, opening the second quarter with a 3-2 advantage; however it would be the final time Brown would control the game. Princeton responded with a 4-1 rally to hold a 6-4 lead and take control for good.

After the break, Brown began to pepper the Tiger goal with shots on frame. The Princeton defense remained composed and managed to hold off a fighting Bear side, with goalie Alex Gow tallying six saves in the third quarter.

Gow finished with 12 saves in the game.

With an 8-5 advantage, Princeton found itself needing to protect its slight point cushion versus a gritty Bear team. Again, Hoffenberg and Wenzlau were there to find the back of the net to preserve the Tigers' differential to hold off Brown and keep the their hopes alive of defending the Eastern crown.

Wenzlau led the Princeton offense with four goals, while winning three sprints. Hoffenberg finished with a pair of goals, an assist and a steal, and Jamie Kuprenas had both an assist and a steal.