Jays finish eighth overall at ECACs

The Men's Water Polo team had a disappointing weekend, losing three of four games and finishing in eighth place at the ECAC Championships, which were held at Brown University.

Immediately after arriving on Friday night at Brown, the Blue Jays had to jump into the pool for their anticipated rematch against "the best team in the East," according to senior goalie Craig Smith: the Princeton Tigers.

Though the Jays fell flat and lost 12-3, there is hope for Hopkins the next time they face the Tigers, according to Smith.

"The good news is that we could beat them," he said. "They have 12 players who can all swim fast and play decent ball. But, they have some starters who wouldn't start on our team ... so, if Hopkins Polo can get on the same page, and expect huge plays from some bench players as well as our starters, we could take them down."

Junior driver Brian Mead was the lone bright spot for Hopkins in the loss, as he scored all three of the team's goals. Mead continued to illustrate his affinity for scoring, as he put home the first three goals for the Blue Jays in their next match against Queens.

Fortunately, his teammates were able to contribute this time around. Junior driver Dan Stillman added a goal of his own in addition to Mead's hat trick, giving the team a 4-2 lead at the half.

In the third quarter, Mead and Stillman continued to lead the offensive charge, each scoring another goal. Senior utility man Geoff McCann also found the back of the net, bringing the final score to 7-3.

Before this meeting, Queens has traditionally been a force to be reckoned with. Last year, Queens was ranked No. 13 in the National Division I poll. However, by convincingly winning 7-3, Hopkins was able to defeat this perennial power.

"Beating Queens was a huge victory," said Smith on the magnitude of the victory. "We have never been able to come even close to thinking about beating them."

The Blue Jays hoped to continue their winning ways against the George Washington Colonials later that Saturday. Although five different players scored at least one goal, this combined effort was not able to overcome the Colonials, as the Jays lost a close match by a 13-12 margin. Mead and junior driver Mac Sanford led the team in scoring, with three tallies apiece. Junior driver James Singleton added two of his own, while McCann and freshman driver David Strickland added one each.

"Our loss to George Washington was the biggest disappointment," said Smith. "We knew that we would be playing them twice within the same week, so I think we left some effort for the rematch. Although we lost, we were able to stick with the game until the last two minutes."

Despite the loss, the highlight of the weekend came during this match at the end of the third quarter. Mead fired "arguably the best shot so far this year on the East Coast," according to Smith. Mead shot a 20-meter fast spin-lob at the buzzer. To put this in perspective, the full pool is about 30 meters long and the goal is 3 meters wide.

In their final game against Iona, the Jays jumped out to an early lead thanks to goals from McCann and Mead. However, the Gaels fought back, tying the game at three goals apiece going into halftime. Iona came out swinging in the second half, scoring the first two goals before James Singelton and Mead responded with goals of their own to tie the game at 5-5. Nevertheless, the Gaels made a final push and scored three straight goals, creating too large a margin for Hopkins overcome. Despite goals from Singleton and Mead, the game ended with Iona on top, 9-7.

Smith had a solid performance, making 11 field saves.

Though the team has hit a rough patch, they are constantly working on their weaknesses and looking to accomplish big things the rest of the way.

"These next two weeks we are practicing twice a day in order to get in shape for California," said Smith.