George Washington University
Princeton
Men's Water Polo Storms Back for First NCAA Win
11/24/2018 4:45:00 PM | Water Polo
Colonials advance in NCAA Championship with OT win at Princeton
PRINCETON, N.J. – George Washington men's water polo achieved more history Saturday, rallying from a five-goal deficit to defeat No. 12 Princeton, 14-13, in overtime at DeNunzio Pool for its first-ever NCAA Championship victory.
Atakan Destici led the way with three goals and five assists, and Henry Maas scored both goals in extra time for the 16th-ranked Colonials, who advance to face UCLA on Thursday at Stanford's Avery Aquatic Center for a spot in the national semifinals.
"If anybody could come back and win it, we knew it was us," senior Zach Slaughter said. "Every second that we've put into working this season and throughout our water polo careers was for a game like this. I think everyone's really happy and really excited with the way that it turned out."
Making its second straight NCAA appearance, GW (23-6) needed a surge down the stretch to knock off the Tigers (19-11) for the first time since 1997.
The Colonials pulled out the historic victory over the Northeast Water Polo Conference champions by showing the same determination that earned them a hard-fought Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference title last weekend, capped by an overtime victory over Bucknell in the final.
After trailing Princeton 11-6 late in the third quarter, GW reeled off six straight goals to take the lead. Goalkeeper Austin Pyrch (seven saves) kept the Tigers scoreless for more than 10 minutes during the comeback.
Andras Levai found the net three times in the run, including the game-tying goal with 4:16 left in regulation.
GW went in front at 12-11 on a long-range shot by Slaughter with 58 seconds to go. The Colonials headed to overtime in NCAA play for the second straight season after Princeton scored to tie it.
The Tigers struck first in overtime before Maas scored on back-to-back possessions. His score off a pass from Andrew Mavis with 1:19 left in the first extra period turned out to be the game-winner.
Henry Maas again! His second goal of OT makes it 14-13 GW! #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/3cBWevNxAW
— GW Water Polo (@GW_WaterPolo) November 24, 2018
GW shut out Princeton over the final 5:33 of the six-minute overtime. The Tigers called timeout to set up a play ahead of their last possession, but the ensuing shot attempt sailed high. The Colonials were able to run out the closing seconds and celebrate a victory to extend the season.
"They had a desire to not lose that game that we maybe hadn't seen in a while," head coach Barry King said. "I just couldn't be happier for those guys. It's just a really solid group of dudes to be around, and they truly fight for each other."
That feeling when you just made history! #MovingOn #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/fhmFyFihb5
— GW Water Polo (@GW_WaterPolo) November 24, 2018
Destici took down a personal milestone with his starring performance. The junior from Turkey passed Brian Mojica ('15) to become the program's all-time assists leader with 194.
Destici had plenty of help with eight different scorers, three of them first-years. Maas scored three times in all to match his career high, while classmates Nick Schroeder and Finn Lillis also found the net.
After a slow start, Levai fueled the comeback, finishing with three goals, two assists, three steals and a pair of field blocks. Mavis, Slaughter and Jordan Blosser scored for the Buff and Blue, as well.
With its 23rd win, GW matched the 1997 club for most victories in a season. The Colonials, now among six teams still in contention for the national championship, head to the West Coast to continue their history-making run.
UP NEXT: GW advances to face 11-time national champion UCLA on Thursday at 5:45 p.m. EST. The winner earns a Saturday matchup with USC for a place in Sunday's national final.
WATCH THIS: Hear from King, Slaughter, Maas and Levai.
Hear from Head Coach Barry King, Zach Slaughter, Henry Maas and Andras Levai after today's NCAA win over Princeton! #RaiseHigh pic.twitter.com/bMtnGWAWr5
— GW Water Polo (@GW_WaterPolo) November 24, 2018
GW 14, Princeton 13 (OT)
GW --2-2-4-4-2-0--14
Princeton --2-4-5-1-1-0--13
GW Goals: Destici 3, Maas 3, Levai 3, Mavis 1, Slaughter 1, Blosser 1, Lillis 1, Schroeder 1.
GW Assists: Destici 5, Levai 2, Pyrch 2, Mavis 1.
GW Steals: Levai 3, Destici 3, Mavis 1, Slaughter 1, Maas 1, Schroeder 1, Davis 1.
GW Field Blocks: Levai 2.
GW Ejections Drawn: Blosser 4, Destici 1, Mavis 1.
GW Saves: Pyrch 7.
