PRINCETON. N.J. — No. 12-ranked Princeton University dealt with the United States Naval Academy, 16-15, and No. 11 San Jose State University, 15-11, on the second day of the 2026 Princeton Invitational at home in DeNunzio Pool.
The Tigers battled Navy in a back-and-forth contest from the opening whistle to ultimately claim a one-goal victory in a tightly contested matchup.
Taylor Bell opened the scoring for Princeton with the Midshipmen responding shortly after. Princeton maintained a narrow advantage throughout the opening eight minutes to exit the frame with a narrow 4-3 margin
The Tigers extended their lead to four goals in the second quarter, but Navy continued to battle back. The Midshipmen closed the gap to two heading into the final quarter with Princeton holding a 12-10 advantage.
The fourth quarter proved to be another back-and-forth battle. Navy pulled within one at 12-11 before Princeton answered to make it 13-11. The Midshipmen continued to chip away before the Tigers regained the advantage at 14-13.
The teams traded goals down the stretch, with Princeton taking a 16-14 lead before Navy scored once more to bring the final margin to one. Despite a late push from the Midshipmen, the Tigers held on for a 16-15 victory.
Pierre du Plessis made his first start of the season while securing his first win.
Ádám Peocz (four), Bell (three), Finn LeSieur (three) and Otto Stothart (two) combined for 12 goals with Tas Palcza, Enrique Nuño, Gavin Appeldorn and Oliver Marcin notching solo markers.
Facing San Jose State, Princeton jumped out to an early 1-0 lead just 22 seconds into the game as Marcin found the back of the net.
San Jose battled back to tie the game at four-all, but Bell put the Tigers back in front with just one second remaining in the first quarter. Princeton carried a 7-6 lead into halftime, with Bell scoring his fourth goal of the game to reclaim the lead once again.
The back-and-forth battle continued throughout the second half, with neither team able to pull away as San Jose continued to chip away at the Tigers’ lead. Princeton maintained its advantage until the final minutes when the Tigers pulled away to secure the 15-11 victory.
Bell (four), Peocz (three), Stothart (three) and LeSieur (three) combined with 14 of Princeton’s scores with Marcin and Nathan Banos tacking on solo strikes.
Kristóf Kovács made 14 saves to earn the win.
Release courtesy Princeton University Athletics Communications
