Nov. 6, 2011

JHU-PU Box Score

JHU-Bucknell Box Score

PRINCETON, NJ - The Johns Hopkins water polo team (16-14) dropped a pair of tough matches today at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Southern Division Championship to finish in fourth place. The Blue Jays fell 10-4 to host and top-seeded Princeton and then lost 10-7 to Bucknell in the third-place match.

Fifteenth-ranked Princeton jumped out to a 3-0 lead after the first quarter and held Hopkins to just one goal over the first three stanzas while building an 8-1 advantage. The Blue Jays outscored the Tigers, 3-2, in the fourth quarter, but the early deficit was too much to overcome. Hopkins got on goal apiece from freshmen Wes Hopkins and Henry Pfleger, junior Alex Whittam and sophomore Stephen Kingery. Freshman goalie Danny Ovelar made 11 saves and had five steals.

Hopkins then faced off against 19th-ranked Bucknell in the third-place game. It marks the sixth time since 2001 that the Blue Jays and the Bison have squared off in the third-place match at Southerns, with each team having won three times. The Bison defense held the Blue Jays to just one man-up goal despite 17 opportunities. Senior Mark Strickland and freshman Johnny Beal scored two goals apiece to lead Hopkins, while Whittam dished out three assists and junior Ross Schofield had a pair. Ovelar made nine saves in goal while grabbing four steals and handing out an assist.

Hopkins advances to the CWPA Eastern Championship for the sixth straight year, a program record, and the 10th time overall. The Blue Jays finished a program best fourth in 2009. Harvard is set to host this year's championship November 18-20. The winner will earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.