Water Polo ranked at all-time high

Junior co-captain driver Ryan Ford scored three in the final period against Bucknell, solidifying a 10-8 victory and helping the Johns Hopkins Water Polo team capture third at the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Crossover Weekend at Princeton Oct. 19-21.

Opening the game with a 3-0 first quarter, the Blue Jays (11-12) controlled the game, leading 5-2 at halftime. Bucknell outscored Johns Hopkins 3-1 in the third period to cut the lead only to one in the final period. Ford and the Blue Jays responded with impressive offensive and defensive efforts.

Ford led all scorers with four goals. Freshmen driver Brian Mead and utility Jim Singleton had two goals and three goals, respectively.

The victory over Bucknell capped off a 3-1 weekend in which the Blue Jay's sole loss was to the eventual champions Navy.

Johns Hopkins opened the tournament against Slippery Rock. Despite a lackluster performance, the Blue Jays managed to pull out a 6-3 victory.

"We didn't play well at all against Slippery Rock," said Ford. "No one came to play or put in much effort. We were just fortunate that we weren't playing a higher seeded team."

But the Blue Jays stepped it up against Penn State Behrend, handily defeating them 11-2. Sophomore driver Matt Shindel led the attack with four goals. Sophomore drivers Jared Blutzner and Sajod Moradi each contributed two goals each, helping to balance the Johns Hopkins offense.

"We did everything that we wanted to do against Penn State Behrend," Ford said. "We started the game getting out to a comfortable lead and we kept our defense consistent. We shut them down and never lost our intensity."

In the third round, the Blue Jays would lose to an overpowering Navy team, 10-4. Johns Hopkins could only play catch up after falling behind in the first quarter 3-0.

"We showed a lot of endurance and toughness against Navy," junior co-captain driver Paul Ramaley said. "Even though we were down, we were able to hold them to only one counterattacking goal in the first half, something that is very difficult against such a strong team."

Earlier in the week, Johns Hopkins was named the No. 2 team in the CWPA Division III poll, an unprecedented distinction for the Blue Jays. The ranking represents the highest ever by Johns Hopkins and the highest ever by an eastern school.

"We are a Division I-caliber team," Ramaley said. "This ranking shows people not to think that we're just an average team. We are doing well and we have the talent to continue to do well."

Johns Hopkins will next play in the ECAC championships Oct. 26-28 at Harvard. The Blue Jays will face teams from the North, all prospective first round opponents for the Eastern Championships held in November.

"This weekend will be important for us to see how we will stand against the stronger Northern teams," Ramaley said. "To do well, we need to continue to stay focused and to keep up the enthusiasm.