NEW YORK, N.Y. — The No. 13-ranked Princeton University men’s water polo team had quite the challenge set up for them – a three game slate in three different locations around New York.
The defending Northeast Water Polo Conference (NWPC) Tigers started the morning with a non-conference matchup at the defending Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Champion/No. 5 Rams of Fordham University in the Bronx, before heading to the Gaels of Iona University in New Rochelle and the Sharks of Long Island University in Long Island to kick off NWPC competition.
Although Princeton fell to Fordham, Dustin Litvak‘s squad turned things around for the next two games. The Tigers picked up two wins to begin its quest towards a fifth consecutive NWPC title.
In a showdown of the top two ranked teams on the East Coast, Princeton and Fordham went back and forth in the first quarter as things were tied at three apiece.
Tas Palcza scored a penalty shot with five seconds to go to give Princeton the lead as Fordham swapped its goalie out for an extra attacker. The Rams took a shot with time left on the clock and Kristóf Kovács made the stop. As time expired and no goalie in the opposite cage, Kovács let a shot fly across the pool and notched his first career goal.
The Tigers added four more in the second to make it a one score game going into the half.
Fordham was able to gather itself and shift the momentum in its favor, overcoming two separate three goal leads in the contest from the Tigers as the Rams secured a 19-16 win.
Palcza finished with three goals for the Tigers, Gavin Appeldorn, Taylor Bell, JP Ohl and Ádám Peocz each accounted for pairs of markers. Luke Johnston, Kovács, Logan McCarroll, Enrique Nuño and Otto Stothart chipped in solo scores.
Kovács finished with 11 saves in the first part of a home-and-home series between the programs as the Rams head to the Garden State on November 1.
Princeton opened its 2025 NWPC slate with a matchup in New Rochelle at Iona. The Tigers held the Gaels to just one goal in the first quarter and had five different goal scorers.
Princeton put up another six goals in the second for a double digit tally in the first half.
The Tigers kept the Gaels at bay for the second half as they recorded their second 20 goal game of the season and collected their first conference win of the season.
Nuño racked up a career high four goals to lead the offense in the win and Stothart added a hat trick. Princeton had 12 different goal scorers in the victory as Johnston (two), Tigran Sennett, William Swart (two), Appeldorn, Bell, Luka Franulovic, Finn LeSieur, Ohl, McCarroll and Peocz also dented the twine.
Kovács tallied a season high 16 saves in the cage and moved into a tie for second for the program’s all time assists record with 735.
Although the Tigers fell behind 2-1 to the Sharks of Long Island in the nightcap, Princeton rattled off six unanswered goals stretching into the second quarter.
Pierre du Plessis made his first career start in goal for Princeton and held LIU to just three goals in the first half as the Tigers claimed a 9-3 lead by halftime.
Bell recorded a second half hat trick as Princeton doubled its total in the second half.
The margin grew as du Plessis shutout the Sharks in the third quarter before the Tigers shut the door on LIU.
Ohl continued chipping away at the program’s all time assist record with eight helpers in the contest to tie the program’s single game record. The senior is now just four assists away from setting a new program record and has 217 overall during his intercollegiate career.
McCarroll (four), Bell (three), Nathan Banos (two), Franulovic (two), LeSieur (two), Swart (two), Ohl, Nuño and Sennett combined for Princeton’s offense in support of a seven save effort by du Plessis.
Information courtesy Princeton University Athletics Communications
