Nov. 3, 2013
(11-02) Mercyhurst Box
(11-02) Navy Box
ANNAPOLIS, MD - The Johns Hopkins water polo team dropped its final two regular season matches to Mercyhurst and Navy on Saturday in Annapolis. The Blue Jays slip to 17-8 overall and finish in a tie for third place in the CWPA Southern Division, East Region. Hopkins fell to Mercyhurst, 11-6, before dropping a tough 12-8 decision to host Navy.
With the score tied at 1-1 after the first quarter, Mercyhurst took control of the match by outscoring Hopkins 3-1 in the second to take a 4-2 lead in the half. The teams each scored three times in the third, put the Lakers still led by two after three. Mercyhurst pulled away in the final quarter, outscoring JHU 4-1 to take the five-goal win.
Senior Thomas de Lyon and freshman Connor Johnson led the Blue Jays with two goals apiece and de Lyon also drew three ejections. Junior Johnny Beal handed out his 100th career assist to become just the fourth player in program history to reach the milestone. Sophomore goalie Erik Henrikson finished with 11 saves and one steal in the loss.
In the nightcap, Hopkins jumped on the home team and led 2-1 after the first quarter on goals by junior Wes Hopkins and sophomore Langdon Froomer. The teams traded five-meter goals in the opening minute of the second quarter, followed by a goal by freshman Giovanni Cragnotti as JHU took a 4-2 lead. The Midshipmen answered with a pair of goals in the final four minutes to make it a 4-4 game at the half.
Coming out of the break, the Blue Jays and the Mids swapped goals over the opening 4:16 of the period. Navy then sandwiched a pair of goals around a tally by sophomore Blake Range as the home team took a 9-7 lead into the final period. The Mids would go on to win with a 3-1 showing in the fourth to avenge their earlier loss in Baltimore.
Hopkins led the Blue Jays with two goals, while Froomer handed out a team-high two assists. Henrikson made 10 stops and swiped four steals in the goal.
Hopkins is back in action at the 2013 CWPA Southern Division Championship, hosted by Navy November 8-10. Tournament seeding will be announced on Monday, November 4, based on the results of voting by the 12 head coaches from both the East and West Regions in the Division.
