ABOVE WATER: Princeton University women’s water polo player Haley Wan, right, pressures a foe in a game earlier this season. Sophomore Wan has starred this season for the No. 15 Tigers, scoring a team-high 50 goals. Princeton, now 17-6, plays in the CWPA Collegiate Water Polo Association) Championships this weekend at Cambridge, Mass. where it will face host Harvard in the quarterfinals on April 29. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

It has been a youth movement by necessity this season for the Princeton University women’s water polo team.

Saying goodbye to six seniors last June and with rising senior goalie Ashleigh Johnson taking a year off from school to prepare for the 2016 Summer Olympics, Princeton head coach Luis Nicolao has dealt with a season of transition.

“It is a brand new team, I think we have had some growing pains at times but at the same time I have been very happy with how the kids have been doing and working hard and we are getting some success,” said Nicolao, whose squad is ranked 15th and brings a 17-6 record into the CWPA (Collegiate Water Polo Association) Championships this weekend at Harvard with the victor of the event earning an automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.

Working through those growing pains, the Tigers won four of their last five regular season games leading into the CWPA competition.

“It was just getting to play with each other and figuring out who is going to fill which role offensively and defensively,” said Nicolao.

“That is the hardest part, you really don’t have the fall to do that with the Ivy League rules so it takes time for the kids to figure out where they are and their roles on the team.”

Princeton started April with two hard losses, falling 9-7 to Michigan and 8-7 to Indiana but came away with the feeling that it can compete with anybody.

“I think more than anything
we gained the confidence that we can play with these two teams,” said Nicolao.

“Indiana and Michigan are the two favorites coming into the year. They train more and play more than us so I think some of the younger kids had some apprehension but we were leading in both games. I think our kids realize that if we play well, anything can happen.”

Junior Morgan Hallock and sophomore Haley Wan have played very well for the Tigers as Hallock has 38 goals while Wan has contributed a team-high 50 goals.

“Morgan is a junior now, she has come into her own,” said Nicolao. “She is a very good player; she gives us size and strength in the middle there. Haley is just an overall smart player. She can do it all, she sees it before it happen. She is a team leader who controls the offense a bit in the water. She is an all around good player.”

Freshmen Lindsey Kelleher and Eliza Britt have bolstered the Princeton offense, tallying 42 and 22 goals, respectively.

“I talked to them early in the season; it is unique,” said Nicolao. “You might have one freshman who will step in and we had two freshmen step in because we needed them. They have been asked to do things that unfortunately I would rather have an upperclassmen do. But because we are underclass dominated, they stepped in and they have done a really great job.”

Sophomore goalie Helena van Brande has done a good job filling the shoes of Johnson, coming up with 132 saves and a save
percentage of 0.516 in 18 appearances.

“Helena has been great; we knew she was a great goalie,” added Nicolao. “I always feel bad because sometimes you try to compare her to Ashleigh and they are two different people.”

Last weekend, van Brande couldn’t play due to injury and the Tigers gave a great effort, topping Brown 15-6, George Washington 15-2, and Hartwick 13-12 before falling to Bucknell 10-9.

“We had to put Chelsea Johnson (Ashleigh’s younger sister) in the goal and we were able to win three out of four games with a field player in goal,” said Nicolao.

“It was next man up; the girls did what they needed to do to win. We don’t try to make excuses about anything. If you had told me at this time last week that you would give me three out of four wins, I will take it for sure. Then you get greedy because you win the first three and you want four. To get three wins with the size of the team that we had and the situation in goal, I was very happy.”

Nicolao is happy with how his team is playing as it looks to defend its CWPA crown.

“I think we are excited, I told the girls it is a fresh start,” said Nicolao, whose team is seeded fourth.

“It is three games, there is no pressure on us, no expectations so let’s just go out there and have some fun and see what we can do. It is one game at a time, we have Harvard first round and that is going to be a challenge. We have got to be ready to play, they are going to be excited in their home pool. You can’t look forward to any game.”