The Hopkins water polo team pushed their record to 9-2 after winning two of their three home games this past weekend. Hopkins started the weekend off with a battle against the undefeated Princeton. The Tigers took a 5-2 lead going into the second quarter. However, the Jays rallied and tied up the game halfway through the second. The fast-paced offensive surge continued into the second quarter as six more goals were scored. Heading into the half, Princeton held a 9-7 advantage over the Blue Jays.
However, Hopkins started off the second half as junior Johnny Beal tied up the game quickly, scoring the first two goals of the third quarter. Despite this admirable comeback, the Tigers’ offense couldn't be contained as they surged ahead with four unanswered goals. As the clock clicked down to zero, the Tigers defeated the Jays by a final score of 15-10.
The boys did not have long to dwell on the loss as they quickly returned to the pool the next day to face the 18th-ranked Bucknell. The match was back-and-forth as Hopkins scored three quick goals to get a lead at 3-2 only for the Bison to tie it up 17 seconds later. Both teams would score one more goal before the end of the quarter with the score deadlocked at 4-4. The second quarter was an outstanding show of athleticism from sophomore Erik Henrikson, who kept Hopkins in the game with an outstanding five saves. As a result of the strong goalkeeping, the Jays held an 8-5 advantage heading into the half.
Hopkins continued to maintain the lead throughout the second half and ended up winning the game 14-12. Co-captain senior Thomas de Lyon had an incredible performance in the water, scoring a career high of six goals and leading the Blue Jays to victory. Junior Wes Hopkins also contributed a strong performance, finishing with a hat trick and a pair of assists in the victory.
Merely three hours later, the Jays would hit the pool once again, facing a formidable opponent in the Naval Academy. Hopkins started off the game strong by controlling possession and capitalizing on key offensive opportunities to take a 7-3 lead after the first quarter. The Midshipmen held their own in the second quarter as the Jays headed into the half, hanging on to a 12-9 advantage.
Hopkins started the third off strong scoring four goals to Navy’s one, pushing the lead to 16-10. However, the Navy refused to go quietly as they cut the lead to 18-14. Outscoring Navy 4-3 in the fourth, the Jays poured in a total of 22 goals, which marked not only a season high, but also the most goals scored against the Midshipmen in Blue Jay history. De Lyon once again had an outstanding performance, crushing his previous record with a new career high of eight goals while also handing out a pair of assists. Junior Johnny Beal also added to the record book by recording seven assists in the victory over the Midshipmen.
The water polo team is putting up astounding numbers all over the board and the contributions are not solely from the upperclassmen. Freshman Matt Fraser was awarded the Collegiate Water Polo Association’s Rookie of the Week for the second consecutive week. However, Fraser was not willing to take full credit for the awards.
“I honestly don’t think that I should have been named rookie of the week because my teammates have done all the work. . .I just capitalized on a few moments,” Fraser said, noting that it could not have been done without the work put in by the team.
Fraser understands the novelty of receiving these rewards, but he refuses to allow the pressure of the awards to affect his performance in the water.
“I don’t feel that much added pressure from my team or coaches, but every time I get in the pool, I want to push myself to get better,” Fraser said.
The work that Fraser and other underclassmen have put in this season has not gone unnoticed by the upperclassmen. Having graduated their top three players last season, the water polo team had large voids that needed to be filled. Co-captain de Lyon noted how many players have stepped up throughout the roster.
“Two of our freshmen, Matt Fraser and Connor Johnson, have earned a starting position,” de Lyon said. “Both of them have been making significant impacts on both the defensive and offensive ends.”
When asked about the overall team atmosphere, de Lyon said: “[We are] definitely excited about our early success, but our coaching staff does a good job of keeping us focused on the big games ahead of us.”
Hopkins’s next big game, against George Washington University, is this Saturday, Sept. 28, The Jays look to continue their early success and build off of their offensive surges heading into Saturday's match.
