Princeton Stays Perfect Behind Olympian Ashleigh Johnson

Photo Courtesy: Princeton Athletics

By Michael Randazzo, Swimming World Contributor

On a weekend when the University of Southern California extended its winning streak to 45 with a thrilling 9-8 OT win over top-ranked Stanford at the Barbara Kalabus Invitational in California, on the opposite coast Princeton maintained its status as the nation’s only other undefeated women’s water polo team with a nationally televised 7-6 decision last Saturday over Ivy rival Harvard.

With 10 saves, Ashleigh Johnson, who backstopped the US Women’s Senior National Team to gold last August at the Rio Olympics, was a difference maker against the visiting Crimson, allowing the Tigers to run their record to 7-0.

“Ivy League, Princeton [vs.] Harvard is always going to be a tough game,” Johnson said to ESPN’s Greg Mescall following the match. “It’s nice to be back in an environment where I can impart all I’ve learned over the past year.”

Harvard head coach Ted Minnis, who has known Johnson since she was starring at Florida’s Ramson Everglades High School, was blunt about the task his team faced against the world’s best female goalie.

“You’ve got to get past that it’s Ashleigh Johnson over there—or else she’s got you beat before you even shoot,” he said.

Luis Nicolao, whose Princeton squad missed NCAAs last season because his star took an Olympic-inspired sabbatical, cautioned about expecting too much from his senior goalie.

“There is no doubt Ashleigh has the ability to lead this team to great heights, but we have to make sure not to always rely on her,” he said. “This past weekend showed that we still have work to do.”

The match was tied at five through three periods, but a defensive-minded Crimson squad simply couldn’t overcome both Johnson and history. Princeton now holds an incredible 40-1 edge over Harvard with the lone defeat coming in 2004.

“They do a very good job of funneling shots into [Johnson] and dictating where the shots going to come—if we can break that chain we have a chance to score,” Minnis said about a Princeton defense surrendering a paltry 4.5 goals a game.

To qualify for the 2017 NCAA Women’s Water Polo Tournament both teams will need to leapfrog Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) foes Indiana and Michigan by capturing the CWPA’s automatic berth.

The men’s and women’s coach at Harvard since 2010, Minnis understands that its the Wolverines and Tigers who are most deserving of the East’s top billing.

“Princeton and Michigan are getting the most publicity,” he said. “The Tigers have the best goalie in the world and Michigan’s coming off of a big Final Four run last year.”

Harvard (4-2) is flying under the radar for now—which suits the Crimson coach just fine.

“NCAAs is not the ultimate goal for us,” Minnis said. “As much as it was to make the Final Four [last year with the Harvard men’s team]—and that’s what you talk about—the most important goal for us is to win a conference championship. That’s something we can take care of and something that we have to do to even have a shot for NCAAs.”

This weekend Harvard and Princeton will again face off in the Harvard Invitational before both travel West and face the country’s best teams, including #4 California, #5 Arizona State and Princeton’s date against #1 USC on March 23rd at the Trojan’s Uytengsu Aquatics Center.

Until then, Nicolao is content for his team to grind out wins—and stay one step ahead of the Eastern pack.

“The opposition will be our biggest factor… and staying healthy,” the Princeton coach said. “Our goal is to play our best polo in the end of April and hope that it’s good enough.”

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