PRINCETON, N.J — Rachael Carver (So., Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) scored three times to net Player of the Game accolades as the No. 10-ranked/Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) regular season champion Princeton University Tigers defended their den by dealing Saint Francis University an 8-3 setback in the semifinals of the 2023 CWPA Championship at DeNunzio Pool.
Courtesy the win, Princeton (28-3, 9-1 CWPA) advances to the title game at Noon on Sunday, April 30, against the victor of a semifinal clash between No. 9 the University of Michigan and No. 18 Harvard University. The Tigers went 3-1 against the Wolverines and Crimson during the regular season as Princeton handled Harvard (11-4 W, 12-10 W) and split with Michigan (11-9 W, 7-6 L).
Princeton will aim to become the seventh host team since 2000 to win the CWPA Championship joining Indiana University (2011), Michigan (2008, 2021), Brown University (2001) and itself (2000, 2015). Overall, the Tigers are making their 25th appearance at the CWPA Championship as the team has advanced to the tournament every year since becoming a varsity program in 1997—but missed 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic after the 2020 championship/season was canceled.
The 2000, 2012, 2013 and 2015 CWPA Champion Tigers started down the path to the program’s ninth title game appearance by striking first as Carver connected on a shot with 2:15 remaining in the first quarter to acquire a 1-0 lead.
Neither team solved their foe’s defense – or iron, as the teams combined to hit the crossbar or posts 10 times during the course of the game – again until 2023 CWPA Most Valuable Player Jovana Sekulic (So., Belgrade, Serbia/The Episcopal Academy) converted a man-up chance with 4:13 left in the second quarter. Kate Mallery (So., Stanford, Calif./Henry M. Gunn) and CiCi Stewart (Jr., Laguna Beach, Calif./Laguna Beach) insulated the lead to 4-0 by halftime as the duo delivered natural (1:08) and man-up (36 seconds) strikes, respectively.
Genevieve Fraipoint (Sr., La Canada, Calif./La Canada) widened the gap to 5-0 with 4:52 on the third quarter clock prior to Emese Szucs (Jr., Budapest, Hungary) shattering a shutout attempt by Tigers’ goalkeeper/2023 CWPA Rookie of the Year Lindsey Lucas (Fr., Orinda, Calif./Miramonte) at the 4:35 mark to inch the Red Flash within 5-1.
Carver (3:09) and Caylah Olay (Fr., Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) (1:31) exchanged tallies over the remainder of the third quarter as Princeton entered the final eight minutes of regulation with a 6-2 advantage on the scoreboard.
Saint Francis (13-22-1, 2-8 CWPA) attempted to put together some final minute heroics as Szucs lobbed in a shot at 5:28 to push the Red Flash within 6-3.
However, Carver (2:04) and Stewart (27 seconds) delivered the final blows as Princeton snuffed the Red Flash by an 8-3 count.
For Saint Francis, which fell by 17-8 and 12-4 scores versus the Tigers during the regular season, Szucs netted a pair and Olay added a solo marker. Isabel Lumley (So., Brisbane, Australia/Brisbane Girls School) finished with seven saves in taking the loss.
The Red Flash will seek to claim a third place finish at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday, April 30, against the fallen from the Michigan/Harvard semifinal. Historically, SFU previously finished eighth (2017), ninth (2018), sixth (2019), third (2021) and fifth (2022) in prior appearances at the CWPA Championship. For clarification, the 2021 championship was a four-team, COVID-19 impacted event which featured the Red Flash competing against Bucknell University, Michigan and former league institution Mount St. Mary’s University. A CWPA Championship was not contested in 2020 due to cancellation of the season brought about by the COVID-19 outbreak.
Carver and Stewart keyed the Princeton attack with three and two goals, respectively, while Sekulic, Fraipoint and Mallery chipped in single scores to back-up an eight save performance by Lucas.
Historically, Princeton will aim to add another CWPA Championship plaque to the walls of DeNunzio after previously falling to Indiana (11-10 L in 2014 at Bucknell), Hartwick College (8-6 L in 2007 at Princeton), Brown (11-10 L OT SD in 2001 at Brown) and Michigan (5-4 L in 2017 at Indiana; 11-8 L in 2018 at Bucknell; 10-6 L in 2019 at Brown) and claiming the 2000 (6-4 W vs. University of Massachusetts at Princeton), 2012 (6-5 W vs. University of Maryland at Brown), 2013 (7-5 W at Michigan) and 2015 (7-6 W vs. Indiana at Princeton) crowns.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| Saint Francis University |
0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | – | 3 |
| No. 10 Princeton University | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | – | 8 |
| Princeton Goals: | Rachael Carver (3); Cici Stewart (2); Jovana Sekulic; Genevieve Fraipoint; Kate Mallery | |||||
| SFU Goals: | Emese Szucs (2); Caylah Olay | |||||
| Saves: | Princeton – Lindsey Lucas (8) ; SFU – Isabel Lumley (7) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Princeton – 11 ; SFU – 7 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Princeton – 2-for-11 ; SFU – 1-for-7 | |||||
| Sprints: | Princeton – 4-for-4 ; SFU – 0-for-4 | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | Princeton – YC (Princeton head coach Derek Ellingson, 1:35 left in 3rd Q) ; SFU – YC (Head coach Jay O’Neil (3:32 left in 1st Q) | |||||
| Officials: | Alex Stankevitch; Stephanie Villalobos | |||||
