NEW LONDON, Conn. – The Connecticut College men's water polo team returned home for the first time in 2024 falling to Johns Hopkins 20-9 and to Iona 23-13. With the two losses, Conn falls to 4-4 on the year.

Game 1: Johns Hopkins 20, Conn 9

The first of the opening game was a back-and-forth affair. The teams split the first four goals of the contest, as Cormac Stevens (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Jesse Ellis (Fresno, Calif.) hit the back of the net. Hopkins closed out the opening quarter with two straight goals to lead 4-2 after one.

Keegan Kosiba (Birmingham, Mich.) cut the deficit to one early in the second quarter, before the Blue Jays pushed the lead back to two. After the Camels cut the lead to 5-4, on a marker from Ellis, Hopkins scored two straight making it 7-4. Kosiba notched his second of the quarter to make it 7-5, while Conn had a few chances to either cut the lead to one, or even tie the game, but trailed at the half 7-5.

The visiting Blue Jays opened the third quarter with a 3-0 run to push the lead to 10-5. Hopkins continued its strong play in the frame, adding a 5-2 run to end the quarter, as the Blue Jays led 15-7 heading to the fourth. Again Hopkins extended the lead with another 3-0 run, making it 18-7, before both teams traded two goals down the stretch. Ethan Hipsky (Glastonbury, Conn.) scored twice in the period for the Camels, as Conn fell 20-9.

Game 2: Iona 23, Conn 13

Game two started much like game one, as the Camels and Gaels played an even opening quarter. Iona led 4-3 after the first eight minutes, as Conn got goals from Ellis, Stevens, and Carson Neidert (West Palm Beach, Fla.). The game remained tight early into the second quarter, as the Gaels built a 7-4 lead, but the Camels cut it to 7-6 after two straight markers from Stevens. However, Iona ended the half on a 3-0 run to lead 10-6 at the break.

The Gaels continued their run to start the second half, using another 3-0 run to open a 13-6 advantage. Paul Podrebarac (Friendswood, Texas) ended the run with back-to-back markers to make it 13-8, but Iona added three more goals to lead 16-8 heading to the fourth. The teams combined for 13 goals in the final frame, with Iona outscoring Conn 8-5. For Conn, the Camels got two goals from Podrebarac, with Matthew Maischoss (Malibu, Calif.), Hipsky, and Stevens all adding one, with Iona coming away with the 23-13 win.

Sebastian Parilov (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Artem Kyselov (Dnipro, Ukraine) split action in goal, with Parilov playing the whole game against Johns Hopkins and Kyselov playing the whole game against Iona.

Conn returns to action on Friday, as the Camels head to California to take part in the Gary Troyer Tournament, beginning action against Occidental at 4:40 p.m. EST in Los Angeles, Calif.