END OF AN ERA: Princeton University women’s water polo goalie Ashleigh Johnson stymies a foe in a game this season. Last weekend, senior star and Olympic gold medalist Johnson ended her stellar Tiger career by starring in the CWPA (Collegiate Water Polo Association) Championship. She made 35 saves in three games, helping ninth-ranked Princeton advance to the title game, where it fell 5-4 to seventh-ranked Michigan. The Tigers ended the season with a 24-4 record. (Photo by Frank Wojciechowski)

Taking advantage of a two-week hiatus from competition between the end of the regular season and the CWPA (Collegiate Water Polo Association) Championship, the Princeton University women’s water polo team got to recharge its batteries.

As the ninth-ranked Tigers headed to Indiana to compete at the CWPA for a berth to the NCAA tourney, Princeton head coach Luis Nicolao liked the energy he saw from his players.

“We were looking forward to this weekend,” said Nicolao. “The whole year is a grind; to finally get to this weekend everyone was excited for the opportunity. We felt pretty confident.”

That confidence was on display as second-seeded Princeton rolled to a 16-7 win over seventh-seeded Bucknell in the quarterfinals last Friday to open the competition.

“It was a great start and it just showed the girls that the last few weeks of practice went well and all the work we did paid off,” said Nicolao.

“To come out on that first game and take control from the very start was a confidence booster for the ladies.”

Sophomore Lindsey Kelleher gave Princeton some great work in the win over the Bison, tallying a career-high eight points with three goals and five assists.

“Kelleher had a great game and a great weekend,” added Nicolao. “We knew going into this weekend that we were going to rely on a few girls offensively and she was one of them.”

On Saturday, Princeton relied on its defense to pull out an 8-7 win over third-seeded and No. 15 Hartwick in the semis.

“It was a tough one for us in that we felt like we were really playing well; we just missed some golden opportunities to make a two or three goal lead into a four or five goal lead, “explained Nicolao.

“Every time we would miss a good opportunity they would come down and score one. You just knew they were going to come back and we looked at the clock and it is a one goal game in the fourth quarter. We rely so much on Ashleigh (Johnson) in goal and she had an amazing weekend. When you have a one goal lead in the fourth quarter and Ashleigh in goal, you feel good.”

Earning a rematch in the title game with top-seeded and No. 7 Michigan, which had beaten Princeton 14-6 in a regular season game, the Tigers were looking to play a deliberate style.

“We were trying to control the tempo more and trying to put the game on our defensive shoulders, telling the girls that we were going to force Michigan to score more from the outside through our arms and through Ashleigh,” said Nicolao.

“It was no counter attack, slow it down, and really, really control that tempo.”

The Tigers achieved that goal as the game turned into a defensive battle but they lost the war as the
Wolverines prevailed 5-4.

“I think we did an amazing job, we had four man-ups in the first quarter and missed them all,” said Nicolao.

“We had a 1-0 lead and if we make one or two of those and get a two or three goal lead with Ashleigh in goal, it would be a whole different type of a game.”

While Nicolao was disappointed by the result, which left Princeton with a final record of 24-4, he had no qualms with how his players competed.

“I could not be happier or prouder of our women, they played so well and so hard,” said Nicolao.

“Give Michigan credit, their defense was just as good. If we had gotten those one or two breaks that we needed earlier in the game, we could have put more pressure on Michigan. The girls never gave up, they battled and battled. I feel awful for them because it is hard to put into words what a Princeton season is like in terms of the stress and everything else. To be in a game like that in the fourth quarter, it was a true testament to our girls and their mindset and how hard they work. A 24-4 record is pretty amazing but right now that loss stings.”

It stings to say goodbye to spectacular senior goalie Johnson, who set the program record for saves with 1,362 and brought glory to Princeton this past summer by starring in the U.S. women’s water polo team that earned gold at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.

“It has been a real honor to have Ashleigh, she is so talented physically in that water and mentally, she sees everything,” said Nicolao of Johnson who earned CWPA Championship All-Tournament First Team recognition this weekend along with the Tiger junior star Haley Wan. Ashleigh’s younger sister, Chelsea, and Kelleher picked up second team honors.

“It made our job easier. I will always be honored to be able to say that we had an Olympian on our team. She played in four championship games and won two of them. Her combined record is pretty impressive.”

The team’s three other seniors, Sydney Saxe, Morgan Hallock, and Hannah Lapkin, also made a valuable contribution to the program.

“Sydney Saxe was one of my favorite players ever, she was always working,” asserted Nicolao.

“She was never one of these girls that sought any attention or limelight. She was just a stopper. You don’t see her name on the stat sheet but she was a huge presence for us. Morgan Hallock and Hannah Lapkin always worked hard to gain position. They are all going to be missed.”

Although the departing seniors will leave a void, Nicolao is upbeat about the program’s prospects going forward.

“We have a great class coming in, we will find a way of battling and getting right back into it,” said Nicolao.

“We have lost many great seniors in previous classes and we always find a way to come back and compete. I think it is a testament to the kind of kids that get into Princeton. I am not selling motivation, I don’t have to sell drive. The kids that get in here aremotivated and driven to excel in everything they do.”