W. Polo travels to west for the first time; loses three of four

After a disappointing showing in California two weeks ago, the Johns Hopkins Men's Water Polo team got back on track with a strong performance at the Southern Division Crossover in Princeton, N.J. In Princeton, the team won three of their four matches.

The previous weekend, the Hopkins Water Polo team made the cross-country trip to compete in the Claremont Convergence in sunny Southern California.

This was the first time that Hopkins had made the trek to the West Coast for a tournament. When they arrived, they were met with a surprise as they realized that the ball used in this tournament was "much lighter than our league ball," according to Hopkins' head coach Ted Bresnahan.

Perhaps due to the weight change, among other factors, the team suffered from a weekend-long scoring slump, as Hopkins dropped three of four matches.

The team's problems did not include, however, an inability to create quality shots; the Jays outshot their opponents in all four of their games. The biggest problem was finding the back of the net.

In their first match, Hopkins faced Whittier College, which nearly overcame a 7-3 deficit heading into halftime. Unfortunately, Hopkins "went into a scoring slump," according to Bresnahan, and let the Poets capitalize on a late rally. Luckily, the Jays were able to hold on for the win, 8-6.

The Blue Jays hoped their scoring troubles would disappear as they grew more accustomed to the new environment. However, it continued to plague them the entire weekend. In their next match against Pomona-Pitzer, the team was up two goals coming out of halftime, and then fell back into its scoring funk. Hopkins lost, 8-6.

Hoping to change the theme of second-half scoring droughts, Hopkins came out against top ranked Redlands with guns blazing. Unfortunately, though they outshot Redlands 25 to 12, they still were unable to convert, losing by a narrow 6-4 margin. Despite the losing record, the Blue Jays were determined to stay focused and prepare for the upcoming Southern Division Crossover.

Their weekend would be filled with familiar adversaries and dramatic finishes, as they would play several teams they have seen before this season.

Two of their four games would go into overtime. Upon arrival in New Jersey on Friday, Hopkins prepared to face Slippery Rock that night. The Blue Jays hoped to break out of their scoring slump and be aggressors against the Rock. They did just that, soundly beating Slippery Rock University by a score of 10-2.

Their next match was an old rival, the Bison of Bucknell University. Though Hopkins had already beaten Bucknell back in September, the Blue Jays did not take this game lightly. Apparently, the Bison were still bitter over the earlier defeat, as they were able to keep the game tied at 7-7 to force an overtime period. However, the Blue Jays prevailed in the end, winning 8-7.

Up next was another familiar opponent, Princeton. Although the past two meetings between the Jays and Tigers this year ended with convincing Princeton victories, Hopkins was determined to make a statement against a heavily favored opponent this time around. Unfortunately, Princeton refused to give in an inch, and once again downed Hopkins, 14-6.

George Washington would be their final opponent on Sunday. This fall, Hopkins and GW split their two games, with George Washington defeating Hopkins at the ECAC Championships, and Hopkins returning the favor at the White Athletic Center.

Though Bresnahan thinks "we should not have lost [to them] at ECACs," and that Hopkins had never lost to the Colonels in the past five years, their third meeting of the year turned out to be a nail-biter. Just like the Bison, the Colonels were able to keep pace with the Blue Jays, trading goals until the fourth quarter ended with the score tied 6-6.

The Blue Jays knew that they had been in this situation before and, just like the last time, Hopkins prevailed, defeating George Washington, 7-6.

The next four weeks, the water polo team's schedule will be packed with various championships. Starting things off is the Division III Eastern Championships, which will be played at home.

The Blue Jays hope to continue their winning ways in this upcoming tournament, which will set the tone for the subsequent tournaments, including the Southern Division Championships, the Eastern Championships, and the Division III National Championships.