Co-captain junior driver Ryan Ford had seven goals and sophomore goalie Chris Smith had 21 saves as the Johns Hopkins University Water Polo team went 1-1 for the weekend, defeating George Washington University 11-9 and losing 11-6 to Navy, Oct. 5 and Oct. 6, respectively.
The Blue Jays (4-9) opened the weekend with a strong first half against the Colonials. Freshman driver Brian Mead had three goals and Ford added two as Johns Hopkins went into the half up 7-1. Much of the third quarter went the same way as the Blue Jays played a great defensive game, leading 10-4 into the final quarter. However, in the final quarter, George Washington went on a 5-1 run, but it was too late.
"George Washington [GW] was a pivotal game that we had to win if we wanted to go to the Eastern Championships," co-captain junior two-meter Paul Ramaley said. "Every year we are usually fighting Bucknell and GW for the third and fourth positions, so that we can play in the tournament. With the win, we look like we're a lock for fourth."
Despite the easy victory on Friday, Navy proved to be the exact opposite, as they challenged the stamina and defense of the Blue Jays. Navy came out strong as they led 6-1 by halftime. What hurt Johns Hopkins the most of the loss of one of their top goal scorer's this year, sophomore driver Geoffrey McCann, who was ejected late in the first quarter.
"Throughout the season, McCann has been on of our top scorers in each game," Ramaley said. "Losing him early really prevented us from generating any offense."
But the Blue Jays were able make some adjustments in the second half. In the third quarter, freshman utility MacGregor Sanford scored early, bringing Johns Hopkins to within four, but the combined effect of quick-set offense, slowed down the Blue Jays and prevented them from gaining any ground.
"In the first half, we saw that we were committing too many turnovers," Ramaley said. "But in the second half, we were able to pass better and we kept shooting. On the defensive end, we took away their counterattack."
Ford helped to anchor the Blue Jay offensive attack scoring two goals in both the third and fourth quarters. Despite the offensive production, Navy was able to come back, whether on a break away or with a strong defensive stand, and re-establish its five goal lead each and every time.
Johns Hopkins final goal was scored by Ford. Taking an assist from freshman utility James Singleton, Ford received the ball deep inside the Navy defense. With his back towards the defender and goal, he spun around and fired, but it was not enough to stop the Naval Academy.
"Despite the loss, we played a better game against Navy than George Washington," Ramaley said. "Against GW, we had lots of 'lucky' goals. But we executed better and had a better fundamental game against Navy."
Last week, Johns Hopkins played in the North-South Invitational, beating Harvard 7-4 and losing to Iona 13-8. Both Harvard and Iona are teams that the Blue Jays will likely face in the Eastern Championships in November.
Even though the Blue Jays are an inexperienced team, they do have the talent to be competitive in the Eastern Championships. Ramaley believes that the only thing that will stop Johns Hopkins is itself.
"We are a young, close knit team with a lot more experience than we had last year, but we're not as disciplined as we were last year," Ramaley said. "For the talent we have, our record isn't so good. There are lots of close games that we should have won and would have won if we were more focused."
Johns Hopkins will next play in the Division III Championships Oct. 12-13. Last year, the Blue Jays were seeded No. 3 and finished second, losing the championship match, 10-9 to MIT in sudden-death overtime.
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