Tigers hope ECACs just a first
By: Justin Feil
Following its spring trip to California, the Princeton University women’s water polo team made a change defensively.
"California didn’t work out as well as expected," said sophomore goalkeeper Natalie Kim of the Tigers’ 3-4 record in California. "We worked out a lot of our problems. We changed up a lot of our defense. It’s more of an aggressive defense now, not what you usually see out on the East Coast.
"We saw how difficult it was to compete against it. We have to take our level of play up to the next level. If you can compete in California, you’re among the best. Playing teams like Cal and Stanford opened our eyes up."
The change in defense means Kim might not have as many games like last year’s ECAC Championship in which she made 16 saves, one shy of the Princeton record. Kim didn’t face nearly as many shots as she helped the Tigers capture the ECAC title for the second straight year and sixth time in the last eight years as she had 12 saves in a 9-6 win over Bucknell on Sunday in College Park, Md.
"My whole goal is to win," Kim said. "If this is what it takes to win, if this defense is going to shut them down and they’re only going to get a few shots on me, that’s fine. This defense not only shuts them down, it leads to our counterattack. It’s not just our defense. It leads to our offensive attack. I love pressing. It’s more California."
With 13 of its 19 players hailing from California, it is true that you can take the players out of California, but can’t take the California out of the players.
"We have a lot of California girls," said Kim, who’s from Palos Verdes, Calif. "A lot of them, when you come east, you let up your California-style water polo. Other than one trip, you don’t see high intensity pressure usually.
"Going on the trip really showed us, this is what the next level of water polo is like. If we want to compete with them, we have to do this. In order to make ourselves a better team, if we want to compete, we have to step up. Now other teams that play us will encounter the same problems we did."
The only problems for Princeton are learning to deal with how tight referees are calling its more aggressive play. The Tigers must adjust to the calls game-by-game. They didn’t go to the defense earlier in the year in part because of Kim. Princeton head coach Luis Nicolao faults himself for leaning too heavily on the standout goalie.
"We’re fortunate to have the best goalie on the East Coast," Nicolao said. "In the past, we relied too much on her. We played lazy defense. If we play better defense, it should make for a better outcome in the end."
The ECAC teams were the first to deal with the Tigers’ new high-intensity pressure defense. Princeton, which was the top seed, opened the ECAC Championships with a 10-6 win over Villanova and followed it up with a 10-8 win over Wagner to reach the final. In the final, the Tigers scored three goals in the third period to expand a 4-3 halftime lead. Elyse Colgan, who was named tournament Most Valuable Player, had two goals in the win and five total on the weekend.
"Last year," Kim said of the Tiger’s upset of top-seeded Hartwick, "we were focused and put all our effort into beating Hartwick. This year, it was like we knew we just had to play our game. If we did that, we could accomplish what we wanted to accomplish."
The 19th-ranked Tigers return to action in College Park, Md., 8:30 p.m. Saturday against Maryland, the lone non-West Coast team to beat them this year. Princeton will play at George Washington 11 a.m. Sunday, then take almost two weeks off before opening the Southern Championships. The ECAC title gives the Tigers a boost.
"I think the important thing is it was the end of the year," Nicolao said. "If we were not playing well, I’d be concerned. We only have three more weekends of water polo we can guarantee. It’s a good sign we’re playing well. We’re in the home stretch.
"Last year," he added, "we played well at times. This year, we’ve been more consistent. Our defense has been better. When we’ve had trouble scoring goals, our defense has kept us in games."
Princeton will be looking to build its 14-5 record and sky-high expectations. The Tigers were Southern champions last year and placed fourth in the Eastern Championships, falling short of an automatic berth in the NCAAs.
"Last year, we only lost two seniors. From this year, we lost one girl who decided to travel abroad," Kim said. "One of the seniors started, so we only lost one starter. This year is a little stronger team. We’ve been working a lot harder in the off-season, conditioning, lifting weights, working on team chemistry. This is the year we have to take it to the house and get it done. Sophomores aren’t freshmen anymore. Juniors, it’s their third year in the program. Seniors, it’s their last chance. We’ve all set our sights on UC-Davis, where nationals are. It should be a good year."
Kim has found it a little less stressful this season after cementing her starting spot. Last year, she also was the starter but it didn’t make her collegiate debut easy.
"Last year was a little difficult," she said. "I came in and I played out my position. I ended up starting over a senior. She was one of our captains. She was mature about it. It made things awkward. This year, my role hasn’t changed much. Maybe there’s a little more leadership."
Kim currently is 16th in the country in saves though if the defense does it’s job, she’ll certainly fall in the rankings.
"We don’t have to rely on me," Kim said. "They can shut down a team. A lot of times the ball doesn’t even get to me. It’s a good sign if I’m not needed.
"I did have to do something," she added of the ECAC games. "I’m going to have to work a little. But a lot of teams on the East Coast aren’t used to being pressed. A lot of times, this defense will shut down teams. Good teams will drive."
And that’s when Kim will have to step up. The Tigers have plenty of confidence that she’ll continue to make the big saves.
"She’s much more comfortable this year," Nicolao said. "She’s no longer a freshman. She’s a sophomore. She knows what to expect. It all comes down to we return a lot of girls from last year. We’re an experienced team. We return a lot of girls and added a few freshmen."
The Tigers saw the sort of good team they want to be when they were in California. Losses to Cal and Stanford were part of the learning experience, part of what had them changing their defensive strategy upon their return. It’s what made the trip to California so meaningful and useful when Princeton returned to defend its ECAC title.
"There’s some good competition out here," Kim said, "but not always the nail biters. We need to be going full speed ahead. You kind of let up a little bit against some teams. Even though you don’t consciously let up, it happens. In California, you can’t do that.
"We did play that really well towards the end of the trip. That helped with ECACs. It carried over. We had a very good week of practice. It carried over into our game play this weekend."
The Tigers hope that their style continues to develop. It has to for Kim and the Princeton women’s water polo team to live out their California dreaming for the nationals.

