Oct. 10, 2005

CLAREMONT, CA - The Johns Hopkins water polo team went 4-0 at the Claremont Convergence Tournament this past weekend, when it picked up a 6-4 win over the #1 Division III team, the University of Redlands, and also defeated Whittier, Ponoma-Pitzer, and the host Stags.

In their first game of the tournament, the Blue Jays edged Whittier 9-8. They trailed 2-1 after the first quarter but tied the game 4-4 at halftime. After falling back behind 6-5 in the third, Hopkins outscored Whittier 4-2 in the final quarter to pull out the one-goal victory. Senior Robert Bates scored a team-high three goals, while sophomore Sean McCreery and freshman Peter Davis each added two. Whittier entered the game ranked fourth in Division III, while Hopkins was third.

Later on Friday, Hopkins defeated the host Stags, the #9 team in the Division III poll, in an even closer match that went into overtime. The game was tied at four after the first quarter and Claremont led 7-6 at the break. The Blue Jays pulled ahead 9-8 in the third but the Stags tied the score at 10 with two goals in the fourth. Johns Hopkins outscored Claremont 2-1 in the first overtime period and neither team scored in the second, as the Blue Jays clinched the 12-11 win. Davis led all scorers with four goals, while Bates and senior James Singleton added two apiece.

On Saturday, Johns Hopkins started off strong against the top-ranked team in all of Division III and the #17 team in the nation. The Blue Jays led 3-1 after the first quarter and held that score through the second. Redlands outscored Hopkins 2-1 in the third period to come within one, 4-3, entering the final quarter, but the Blue Jays sealed the win with two goals in the fourth. McCreery had a game-high three goals, while Singleton had two.

The Blue Jays (14-5) host Princeton on Friday, October 14, at 8 pm.