BALTIMORE, MD – Visiting Bucknell used a strong first half to defeat Johns Hopkins, 16-10, in Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) action Saturday night. The Blue Jays slip to 11-16 overall and 3-6 in the MAWPC while the Bison improve to 10-12 overall and 6-4 in the league.
Junior
Jason Mihalopoulos scored the game's first goal on a six-on-five just 51 seconds in. But a Shay Gillearn man-up goal on the other end sparked a five-goal Bison run as they pushed out to a 5-1 lead at the 3:19-mark. Freshman
Phillip Long halted the run with a five-meter goal less than a minute later and Bucknell led 5-2 after one.
Aleksa Stefanovic opened the second-quarter scoring with a six-on-five goal, but sophomore
Max Blecher answered just 26 seconds later to make it 6-3. Sean Tunnicliff scored a man-up goal to kick-start another five-goal Bucknell run. Senior
Ian Raley buried a five-meter shot to end the run with 40 ticks on the clock and made it an 11-4 game at the half.
Freshman
Patrick Rooney and sophomore
Owen Bartlett scored back-to-back goals to open the third and pull Hopkins within five. Bucknell answered with a 4-1 spurt that bridged the third-quarter break as the Bison went up 15-7. Long got the Blue Jays on the board at 4:46 in the fourth with a six-on-five goal, but Hasan Mogultay answered for the Bison. Mihalopoulos and Long came right back with a pair of goals for JHU, but the Jays could get no closer.
Long led the Blue Jays with four goals, while Mihalopoulos added three points (2g, 1a) and two drawn ejections. Rooney drew two ejections and grabbed two steals to go with his one goal. Sophomore
Ethan Babel chipped in two assists and senior
Kyle Pearson finished with seven saves and two steals.
Hopkins returns to action on Saturday, November 2 against Wagner. The MAWPC contest is scheduled for a 12:00 pm start in the Newton White Aquatic Center.
Notes: Mihalopoulos needs just three points to reach 100 for his career, while Babel needs four to reach the milestone • Junior
Daniel Palfi is two assists shy of 100 for his career.