The eighth-ranked Blue Jays faced a familiar rival against George Washington Colonials in the opening match of the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) Championship. Going into the match, the Blue Jays led the season series between the squads three games to one.
After the Colonials scored an early goal, Hopkins senior Wes Hopkins and sophomore Kevin Yee each scored goals to give the Blue Jays a 2-1 lead. The Colonials were able to answer with 16 seconds left in the first quarter to tie up the score. After a quiet second quarter, George Washington got back on top early in the third quarter. Freshman Matt Fraser scored a minute later to tie the match back up, but the back and forth scoring continued as the Colonials took the lead again late in the third quarter.
The Jays were unable to answer in the fourth quarter, and the Colonials advanced to the next round, while the Jays would face 12th ranked Fordham in the consolation bracket.
The Blue Jays responded well to the disappointing loss against George Washington with a big 11-8 victory over Fordham.
Led by a five point effort from sophomore Langdon Froomer and a hat trick from Fraser, the Jays were able to avoid elimination. Fordham was able to come within two goals of the lead at the end of the third quarter, but the Blue Jays quickly answered with two goals of their own early in the fourth quarter to hold the Rams off.
In goal, junior Danny Ovelar played two quarters, making seven saves while allowing four goals, while sophomore Erik Henrikson made two saves, allowing four goals in two quarters of action.
In the ninth-place match of the CWPA Championship the Jays defeated the Mercyhurst Lakers in another convincing season-ending victory.
After a competitive first half, the Jays led by a score of 5-4. In the third quarter, the Jays pulled away, going on a 4-1 run to give them a 9-5 lead. The sides traded goals back and fourth in the fourth quarter, with the final score ultimately being 12-8.
The outstanding offensive display was led by a three goal performance from junior Johnny Beal along with two goal efforts from Froomer and senior Thomas de Lyon. After a disappointing first round exit, the Blue Jays were definitely pleased to end the season on a good note.
“There was definitely a lot of personal pride on the line in the Mercyhurst game,” Froomer said. “It was the last game we were playing with our seniors and we had already lost to them once this year. We came out really aggressive and put the pressure on them.”
The Blue Jays finished the season with a record of 21-10, finishing with at least 20 wins for the second year in a row and the third time in school history. Froomer also reflected on a few of the highlights of the season. “I'd say our biggest wins were against Harvard, MIT and Navy. Harvard and Navy had very strong teams this year, and it definitely put the East on notice that we were a team to worry about this year. MIT was more of a personal victory because it was our first game against our former assistant coach Ivan Ivovic who is now their head coach. We were really pumped for that game.”
When asked about next season, Froomer seemed optimistic. “Although we lose three seniors and a lot of leadership with them, we have a lot of young talent, and I'm positive the upperclassmen next year will assume that leadership. Look for us to have a strong season next year.”
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