PRINCETON, N.J. – The La Salle water polo team began its 2025 season in New Jersey, competing in the Princeton Invitational. The squad fell to each of the four teams it played over the weekend. 

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HOW IT HAPPENED – No. 6/10 PRINCETON (L, 14-10)  

• Princeton controlled the first quarter, going up 5-1. 
• The second quarter featured nine goals. The Tigers scored three of the first four to go up 8-2. La Salle scored three straight to cut heavily into the lead, pulling within three. Princeton ended the half with two scores in the final minute to take a 10-5 lead into halftime. 
• The third frame began slowly, with the first goal coming four minutes in. Francesca Co' buried the lone goal of the quarter for the Blue & Gold. Princeton again found the back of the net late, scoring with seven seconds left to set the tally at 12-6 going into the final frame. 
• La Salle captain Paige Mitchell scored the first goal of the fourth less than a minute in. The Tigers scored, but La Salle came right back with three straight goals from Co' (13-10). La Salle failed to capitalize on an exclusion penalty shot with 2:10 left that would've cut the lead to two. Princeton hit the dagger with 1:56 left on the board.  
• Co' led all scorers with six goals. Martina Bonet Saez also impressed with two goals, two assists, and a steal. 

HOW IT HAPPENED – AZUZA PACIFIC (L, 15-12)  

• The two teams traded goals in the first quarter. Sofia Kolovou scored both goals for the Explorers. 
• Azuza Pacific struck early in the second to set the tone for an action-packed period. The teams exchanged goals at a rapid pace. Pacific converted on two straight opportunities to take a 6-4 lead before Kolovou dented the twine with 1:30 left on the board to send the teams into the half, 6-5. 
• Claire Durham tied the game to start what would end up being a 10-goal third quarter. Like the second quarter, neither side was able to build any sort of lead despite goals being scored at a rapid clip. In what proved to be a critical turning point, Azuza Pacific scored twice in the final 37 seconds of the quarter, including a buzzer-beater to retake the lead, 11-10. 
• The Cougars extended the lead to 13-10 after scoring the first two goals of the fourth quarter. Bonet Saez attempted to spur a comeback via a goal with four minutes remaining, but Azuza Pacific slammed the door via two more goals in under a minute. 
• Kolovou had one of the best games of her career for La Salle scoring six goals. 

HOW IT HAPPENED – BUCKNELL (L, 10-9 OT)  

• La Salle got to a 2-1 lead thanks to goals from Co' and Bonet Saez.
• Like the first, the second quarter saw only three goals. The Explorers' lone goal came from freshman Sara Quirante Talli, who netted the first goal of her career. The teams went into the locker room with the score knotted at 3. 
• The Bison scored three of the four goals scored in the third quarter to take a 6-4 advantage, Bonet Saez scored the lone goals for the Explorers. 
• Co' scored to kick off a wild fourth quarter. With the score 8-6, Kolovou and Tatum Lomax scored back-to-back goals to knot the game at eight with 2:31 left on the board. Despite numerous penalties in the final two minutes, neither side was able to gain the advantage, sending the game to overtime. 
• Bucknell scored the first two goals of the extra period.    

HOW IT HAPPENED – SAINT FRANCIS U (L, 17-9)  

• Both squads exchanged goals, as the first quarter ended 4-3 in favor of the Red Flash. Co La Salle's goals were scored by Co', Kolovou, and Bonet Saez. 
• The Red Flash started to grow its lead in the second quarter, scoring six of the eight goals. Kolovou and Bonet Saez each got their second goal during this time frame. 
• With 5:32 left in the third, Carlotta Zandali scored for the Explorers to make it 11-6. However, Saint Francis U scored two goals in the following four minutes to enter the final quarter up 13-6. 
• In a 2:02 span, the Explorers scored three goals in the fourth quarter to cut the deficit to five. Despite the late push, the Blue and Gold couldn't score any more, and Saint Francis U added three more before time expired. 
• Eight different Explorers scored in the game, with Bonet Saez leading the scoring with two goals. 

UP NEXT  

• La Salle heads to Brown University for the Bruno Classic next weekend. The Explorers will play two games on Saturday and one on Sunday.