No. 10 Princeton University Eludes No. 14 Indiana University, 10-8, in Overtime to Make 2018 Collegiate Water Polo Association Championship Title Game

Princeton University-vs.-Indiana University Scoresheet (PDF)

LEWISBURG, Pa. — The quartet of Chelsea Johnson (Sr., Miami, Fla./Ransom Everglades), Eliza Britt (Jr., Newport Beach, Calif./Corona del Mar), Amy Castellano (So., Yorba Linda, Calif./Yorba Linda) and Lindsey Keller (Jr., South Pasadena, Calif./Polytechnic) all scored in overtime as the top seed/No. 10-ranked Tigers of Princeton University overcame a 3-1 halftime deficit to dispatch No. 4 seed/No. 14 Indiana University, 10-8, in the semifinals of the 2018 Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship hosted by Bucknell University at Kinney Natatorium.

The victory advances Princeton (23-7, 8-0 CWPA) into a 1:30 p.m. clash on Sunday, April 29, with No. 2 seed/No. 10 University of Michigan for the league championship and berth to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Championship hosted by the University of Southern California (USC). A four-time (2000, 2012, 2013, 2015) league champion and four-time runner-up (2001, 2007, 2014, 2017), it marks the Tigers second consecutive and sixth title game berth since 2012.

Trailing 3-1 at halftime, the Tigers went to work in rallying back as Player of the Game Haley Wan (Sr., Irvine, Calif./Santa Margarita Catholic) cocked and fired a ball into the twine 61 seconds into the third quarter to pull Princeton within 3-2 at the 6:59 mark. However, Karrie Kozokar (Jr., Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein) responded at 5:25 to return the Hoosiers’ lead to a pair at 4-2.

Princeton went back on the offensive as Britt broke loose for a man-up strike (4:58) before Castellano balanced the scoreboard with a natural goal (2:53) to pull the teams even at four-all. The Tigers pushed ahead prior to the close of the frame as Wan weaved through the defense and wailed in a go-ahead shot with exactly one minute on the clock to give Princeton its inaugural lead of the contest at 5-4.

The teams traded goals from there as Sarah Myers (Sr., Toronto, Ontario/Humberside) squared the squads at five-all with 7:14 left in the fourth quarter prior to Wan putting away a man-up chance at 6:34 to return the lead to Princeton at 6-5.

Trailing by one with the clock not on its side, Indiana once again pulled even as Kozokar zipped in a natural tally at 2:53 to make it six-all.

Both teams had their chances to conclude the contest in regulation, but a combination of bad luck and the goalie work of Canadian National Team netminder Jessica Gaudreault (Sr., Ottawa, Ontario/St. Joseph) for Indiana (25-8, 5-3 CWPA) and 2018 CWPA Rookie of the Year Marissa Webb (Fr., Danville, Calif./San Ramon) for Princeton kept the teams deadlocked to force overtime.

The Tigers gained the early lead in the pair of three-minute extra periods as Johnson slipped in a shot 51 seconds into the first OT to give her team a 7-6 lead. The game then shifted in favor of Indiana as Joelle Nacouzi (So., Montreal, Quebec/College Charlemagne) and Megan Abarta (So., Simi Valley, Calif./Royal) ripped in back-to-back even-strength opportunities with 1:07 and 46 seconds on the clock, respectively, to push the Hoosiers ahead 8-7.

It would mark the final time Indiana held the lead as Castellano delivered the equalizer with 19 seconds remaining in the extra frame to return equilibrium to the game at eight-all going into the second mandatory OT period.

The final three minutes of the game were all Princeton as Kelleher knocked-out Indiana by burying the winning goal 15 seconds in (2:45). Another strike by Britt at 1:38, timely defense and key goalkeeping by Webb provided some insurance as the Tigers escaped with a 10-8 overtime win.

For Princeton, the game did not appear destined to see the squad make the title tilt as Indiana jumped out a 2-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to back-to-back shots by Kelly Matthews (Sr., Roxboro, Quebec/St. Thomas) and Nacouzi with 7:37 and 2:58 on the clock, respectively, to plant the Tigers firmly on their heels.

Reeling from the quick start, the Black & Orange finally settled down and put a point on the scoreboard at the 6:04 mark of the second quarter when Wan netted her first of a game-high four goals. However, Kozokar inflated the Hoosiers’ lead back to a pair at 3-1 prior to halftime to set up the Tigers’ comeback to victory.

For Indiana, Kozokar connected on three goals, while Nacouzi (two), Myers (one), Matthews (one) and Abarta also hit the netting. Gaudreault suffered the loss with six saves and 10 goals allowed.

The loss drops the Hoosiers into the Third Place game at Noon on Sunday, April 29, as Indiana will meet No. 13 Hartwick College, which lost to Michigan by a 9-5 final score in the other semifinal. It will mark the second meeting of the year between the two programs as the Hawks handled Indiana by a 13-11 score on March 3 in Bloomington, Ind., during the 2018 Indiana Classic.

On the victorious side of the tank, Wan (four), Britt (two), Castellano (two), Kelleher (one) and Johnson (one) each chipped in on the offensive end for the Tigers. Webb handled the majority of the heavy-lifting on the defensive side of the pool by stopping 11 shots.

Princeton’s showdown against Michigan tomorrow will mark the third meeting of the year between the two potent programs. Following a 13-4 loss in a shallow-deep pool at Hartwick on March 10, Princeton produced when it mattered most in topping the Wolverines by an 8-7 score in sudden death overtime on April 8 in the Garden State to claim the regular season league title and the No. 1 seed for the tournament. The win terminated Michigan’s 20-game win streak and 24-game regular-season conference victory run.

The title game’s location could be a negative omen for Princeton as the squad dropped an 11-10 game to Indiana in the 2014 CWPA Championship tilt at Bucknell. Previously, the Tigers fell to Hartwick (8-6 L in 2007 at Princeton), Brown University (11-10 L OT SD in 2001 at Brown) and Michigan (5-4 L in 2017 at Indiana), while 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	OT1	OT2	–	FINAL
No. 14 Indiana University	2	1	1	2	2	0	–	8
No. 10 Princeton University	0	1	4	1	2	2	–	10

Princeton Goals:	Haley Wan (4); Eliza Britt (2); Amy Castellano (2); Lindsey Kelleher; Chelsea Johnson
Indiana Goals:	Karrie Kozokar (3); Joelle Nacouzi (2); Sarah Myers; Kelly Matthews; Megan Abarta
Saves:	Princeton – Marissa Webb (11) ; Indiana – Jessica Gaudreault (6)
Exclusions:	Princeton – 5 ; Indiana – 11
Advantage Opportunities:	Princeton – 2-for-11 ; Indiana – 1-for-5
Sprints:	Princeton – 1-for-6 (6th) ; Indiana – 5-for-6 (1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th)
Cards/Misconducts:	YC – Indiana (Head coach Ryan Castle, 5:25 left in 3rd Q)
Officials:	Josh Kratz, Val Vasilchikov