LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The No. 12-ranked Princeton University Tigers earned a split during Day Two of the Mountain Pacific Invitational. The Tigers defeated the No. 19 Pomona-Pitzer Colleges Sagehens, 12-11, in overtime and lost to the No. 7 University of California-Santa Barbara Gauchos, 14-7, at Loyola Marymount University’s Burns Recreation Center.
In the day’s opener against the Division III top-ranked Sagehens, Jordan Colina and Matt Payne scored four goals each in a back-and-forth clash. Princeton pushed in front by four in the third quarter, its largest lead of the contest, but Pomona-Pitzer went on a 5-1 run to send the game into the overtime. However, the Tigers scored the first two goals of overtime and held on for the victory.
Payne scored twice to begin the game, but Pomona-Pitzer quickly countered with the next two goals. Princeton could not pull away in the first half, never leading by more than two, taking a 6-5 advantage into the intermission.
The Tigers snagged the first three goals of the third stanza to take a 9-5 lead. One of the three goals came from goalie Vojislav Mitrovic, the first of his career.
The Sagehens made another push, closing within one with under two minutes to go. Dylan Eliott‘s goal just before the clock expired sent the game into overtime.
Payne put the Tigers back ahead before Colina added an insurance tally in the extra session. Pomona-Pitzer cut its deficit in half with 36 seconds to go, but couldn’t get another shot off.
Mitrovic made 20 saves in cage for the Tigers to earn the victory.
Taking on UC-Santa Barbara, the Gauchos netted the last two goals of the first half to take a 6-4 advantage prior to reeling off a 4-0 run to begin the third quarter.
After a Princeton goal, UC-Santa Barbara snagged the final two goals of the third stanza to take a 12-5 lead after 24 minutes.
The game see-sawed back-and-forth in the early going as the two opponents exchanged goals in the first quarter, setting the score at two-all. In the second quarter, the Tigers jumped in front, 3-2, before the Gauchos answered with two consecutive tallies.
Colina tied the game at four-all with 3:41 to go in the first half before UC-Santa Barbara posted two more goals, taking a 6-4 lead at halftime.
The Gauchos continued to push ahead, holding Princeton without a goal until the 1:57 mark of the third frame. A goal by Shane Hauschild set the score at 12-5 following three quarters. Princeton had the first two goals of the fourth quarter, but didn’t get any closer the rest of the way.
Release courtesy Princeton University Athletics Communications
