It was another triumphant weekend for the Hopkins water polo team. The Jays now sit at 6-2 after Saturday's showing at the Princeton Invitational. This is the team's best starting record since 2005, and they have high hopes for this season.
Hopkins opened the weekend by picking up a win against Iona, 13-6. This was the second consecutive week the Blue Jays dominated the Gaels.
Freshman Wes Hopkins and juniors Alex Whittam and Ross Schofield each netted hat tricks in the win, while sophomore Stephen Kingery chipped in two goals of his own. Juniors Kielan Crow and Charlie Weintraub each had a strike as well.
Danny Ovelar, the team's freshman goalie and CWPA Southern Division defensive player of the week, continued to prove himself as a wonderful new addition, making 10 saves with four steals, while allowing just six goals.
Both Danny Ovelar and Wes Hopkins were named the co-conference rookies of the week on Sept. 5th.
"Coming into the season, I didn't even know how much I would get to play, so this award really just feels like a testament to my hard work during the summer that put me in a position to succeed," said Hopkins, a native of Sinking Spring, PA.
The second game of the day was another victorious one for the Blue Jays as they squeaked by Fordham, 7-6. Hopkins faced off with the Rams at the Princeton Invitational in 2010, falling 8-5, and were in search of revenge.
It was a tough game, as Fordham came in hot, and the Rams led 2-1 after the first quarter. Fordham was relentless in their attack, taking a close 6-5 lead into the final quarter.
The Jays, however, pushed themselves to equalize their opponent, netting two goals late in the final stanza to earn the win. Kielan Crow led Hopkins with three goals, while Hopkins, Whittam and Schofield each scored a goal. Ovelar finished with nine saves.
Hopkins headed into Sunday's games with an uplifted spirit, which carried over to a 14-6 win over Harvard.
Crow and Schofield continued to play with a hot hand, as the classmates each netted three goals. Hopkins, Whittam and senior Mark Strickland scored two goals apiece in the win.
Kingery and junior Eli Levitt also added goals of their own. Ovelar continued his hot streak in net, making 10 saves alongside four steals.
In the final game of the weekend, the Blue Jays gave the 19th-ranked St. Francis Terriers a sufficient scare, but couldn't hold off the polo powerhouse in the end, falling 9-8.
The Terriers led 7-4 at the half, but the Blue Jays came back with a vengeance, making it a 9-8 game by the fourth.
Crow saw the back of the net another five times, a career-high, while freshman Johnny Beal scored a pair of goals. Levitt notched one for himself as well.
Ovelar finished with eight saves and two steals.
It was a close and exciting game for the Jays who have grappled with the Terrier's fortitude for quite some time.
Overall, it was another great weekend for the water polo boys, who came home from Princeton with three wins and one loss.
A year ago, Hopkins finished 1-3 at the Princeton Invitational, a clear sign that despite their youth, the Blue Jays are a team to be reckoned with, not just in the CWPA, but in the Division III national polls as well.
"As always, our team does their best in the water," said Ovelar.
Next weekend, the team will return to action at the North-South Championship hosted by the U.S. Naval Academy.
Hopkins will play Brown on Saturday, Sept. 17 at noon in Scott Natatorium and will then face Iona for the third time this season at 7:30 pm on Saturday in Lejeune Hall.
