It was a tough weekend for the GW men’s water polo team in the North-South Invitational at Princeton University as the Colonials dropped four matches to fall to 4-9.

Saturday morning the team opened play with Saint Francis College (N.Y.), a top-ranked East coast team.

“We started off very slow,” said Coach Scott Reed. “We weren’t very aggressive.”

St. Francis took advantage of the slow start, winning 12-6. Reed added that the intimidation factor of St. Francis’ high-ranking could have played a role in the loss.

In the afternoon, the team faced Queens College (N.Y.). At halftime the Colonials trailed 9-3, but with tough play by senior Rush Taylor and freshman Chris Green the team did not fall so easily. Taylor and Green each added two goals, but GW still fell 13-7.

The Colonials finished off the day against Massachusetts. Reed said the team was tired and frustrated from the previous two games, but they gave the competition a heated battle.

In the final quarter, Green converted on a key two-point goal.

“It prevented UMass from taking off on us,” Reed said.

Unfortunately for the Colonials, Green’s goal was not enough, and GW lost 8-6.

The final game of the weekend came Sunday against Iona College of New York City.

Again, the Colonials began slowly.

“We weren’t sticking to our game plan,” Reed said.

The Colonials lost the match 12-10. Taylor led the team in scoring with two goals, and goalie Tony Paster had an impressive 12 saves.

Despite the outcome of the weekend, Reed remains optimistic about his team’s chances against Bucknell University this Saturday, a must-win match to qualify for the Eastern Championship.