LOS ANGELES/MALIBU, Calif. — The No. 11-ranked Princeton University men’s water polo earned two victories on its West Coast trip by defeating No. 17 Loyola Marymount University, 11-10, and No. 10 Pepperdine University, 14-6.
Against LMU, the Tigers held off a late rally to claim an 11-10 road win.
Roko Pozaric and Keller Maloney added hat tricks, while Billy Motherway contributed 12 saves in the win.
Loyola Marymount scored the last two goals of the first quarter to take a 3-2 lead after eight minutes. The two squads exchanged tallies in the second frame with the home unit holding a 5-4 lead at the break.
Much like the second quarter, the third quarter was a back-and-forth affair with neither team leading by a goal. Maloney’s goal with five seconds to go tied the contest at seven-all. Pozaric and Maloney put the Tigers in front and expanded the team’s advantage to three, 10-7 with 6:15 remaining.
Loyola Marymount climbed within one as the clock ticked under four minutes, but Princeton’s defense held strong and didn’t allow the equalizer.
Taking on the Top 10-ranked Waves, Princeton used a seven-goal second quarter to swamp Pepperdine, 14-9.
Vladan Mitrovic, Pierce Maloney and Mason Killion combined for half the Princeton total, while goalie Antonio Knez stopped 10 shots and scored a tally in the victory.
In front, 3-2, after the first stanza, the Tigers rolled off a seven-goal frame to secure a 10-goal first half.
Wyatt Benson threw in the first goal of the second half to jump ahead by six, but Pepperdine made another run. The Waves registered three straight, setting the score at 11-8 with 7:22 left. The Tigers held the Waves off the board the rest of the way to finish off the day with their second victory.
Release courtesy Princeton University Athletics Communications
