Sept. 12, 2005

LEWISBURG, PA - The men's water polo team went 2-2 over the weekend at the Bucknell Invitational, defeating Slippery Rock and Iona but losing to Navy and Bucknell. Sophomore Sean McCreery scored a team-high 12 goals for the 19th-ranked Blue Jays, who moved to 6-2 overall this season.

Johns Hopkins began the weekend with a 10-5 win over Slippery Rock on Friday night. McCreery and freshman Alex Bond each scored four goals, and freshman Peter Davis and sophomore Chris Hemmerle added one to lead Hopkins, ranked #6 in the CWPA, over #8 Slippery Rock.

The Blue Jays faced their toughest opponent thus far on Saturday afternoon when they matched up with Navy, the #2 team in the CWPA and the #13 team in the nation. Davis and Hemmerle each scored first-quarter goals but Hopkins trailed 4-2 after one and 7-3 at halftime. After McCreery and sophomore Chris Hudson tallied a goal apiece in a 2-2 third quarter, the Midshipmen outscored the Blue Jays 4-0 to clinch a 13-5 win.

Later in the day, Johns Hopkins rebounded with an 11-3 win over Iona, which the Blue Jays defeated 9-5 in their first game of the season. McCreery scored five goals in the win, while senior Robert Bates added two.

On Sunday, Hopkins met the host Bison, who were ranked #4 in the CWPA, and lost 7-5 in the final game of the tournament. After a scoreless first quarter, McCreery put the Blue Jays on the board with one goal in the second; Johns Hopkins trailed 2-1 at the half.

Bucknell pulled ahead in the third quarter with four goals, while Hopkins managed just one from Hemmerle. Trailing 6-2, the Blue Jays rallied with three goals, including two from senior James Singleton, in the final period but it was too little too late. Bucknell scored once in the fourth to finish with the 7-5 win.

Johns Hopkins returns to the pool on Saturday, September 24, when it visits Princeton for the two-day ECAC Championships.