Box Score Box Score

The Basics
• Score: #5 Johns Hopkins-19, Penn State Behrend-7
• Records: JHU (6-9) • PSB (2-16)
• Location: Baltimore, MD • Newton White Aquatic Center
• The Short Story: The fifth-ranked Johns Hopkins water polo team rolled to a 19-7 win over Penn State Behrend in the semifinals of the 2018 CWPA Division III Championship Saturday afternoon.  
 
How it Happened
• Hopkins jumped out to a 6-2 lead in the game's opening eight minutes. Senior Andreas Katsis struck first just 56 seconds in, but it was answered 17 seconds later by an Isaak Hatopp goal. Senior Josh Kurtz responded at 5:20 to put the Blue Jays back on top and spark a four-goal run. Katsis then scored back-to-back goals, followed by one from freshman Jayden Kunwar and it was a 5-1 game. The Lions sandwiched a pair of goals around one from Kurtz to make it 6-2 after one.
• Sophomore Nico Ivanov opened the second-quarter scoring, but PSB answered with a pair to trim the lead to three with 6:55 left in the quarter. Ivanov ended the run with his second of the quarter at the 1:26-mark to kick-start a 7-0 Blue Jay run. That run spanned more than eight minutes of game time as JHU stormed out to a 14-5 lead.
• Leo Suarez closed out the third-quarter scoring and ended the Blue Jays' run with 1:05 to play. Hopkins responded with four straight goals, including a pair from junior Finn Banks. Suarez put a halt to the Blue Jays' run, but it was answered by an Ivanov goal to make it 19-6 with 2:47 to go. Greg Kinzler got one more for the Lions before the final horn to account for the final score.
 
What it Means
• Hopkins improves to 18-0 all-time against Penn State Behrend, including 3-0 at home. The Blue Jays are now 73-8 in the CWPA Division III Championship and will play in the title game for the 26^th time. Hopkins has won a record 17 CWPA DIII titles, including in 2015 and 2017.
 
Inside the Box Score
• Katsis led the Blue Jays with four goals while Kurtz and Ivanov added hat tricks.
• Banks scored a pair and handed out four assists while senior Giorgio Cico had a goal and three assists.
• Cico now ranks fifth in program history with 336 career points and is second with 165 assists. He is 23 assists shy of Alex Whittam's all-time mark.
• Senior Spencer Witte finished with eight saves, three steals and an assist. Senior Ryan Masi had six steals and now ranks 13^th in program history with 118.
 
Up Next
• Hopkins will take on seventh-ranked MIT in the championship game on Sunday, October 14. The game is slated for a Noon start at the Newton White Aquatic Center.