ERIE, Pa. - The Connecticut College men's water polo team opened up MPSF play going 1-2 in three games at the Junker Center at Penn State-Behrend.
Game One: JHU 21, Conn 10
Hopkins started quickly jumping out to a 4-0 lead just three minutes in. Conn responded with back-to-back goals from Sebastian Parilov (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Matthew Maischoss (Malibu, Calif.). The Blue Jays ended the quarter on a 4-1, with the lone Camels goal coming from Jesse Ellis (Fresno, Calif.), as Hopkins led 8-3 after one.
Hopkins opened the second quarter with a 4-0 run to push the lead to 12-3. Conn scored two of the next three goals, with Jeffrey Harrington (San Diego, Calif.) finding the back of the net to make it 13-5, before two late goals from Hopkins had the Blue Jays leading 15-5 at the break.
Hopkins continued their strong play into the second half, extending the lead to 17-5. The Camels responded with four of the final five goals of the quarter. Ellis notched two goals, while Ethan Hipsky (Glastonbury, Conn.) chipped in a goal as Conn trailed 18-9 heading to the fourth. The Blue Jays opened the final quarter with an early goal, before Zach Dixon (Wayne, Pa.) tallied Conn's last goal. Hopkins tacked on two more markers to come away with the 21-8 win.
Game Two: Conn 20, W&J 8
Conn opened their second game, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead. Dixon notched two goals for the Camels, while Paul Podrebarac (Friendswood, Texas) added the third. W&J answered with a late goal in the frame, as Conn led 3-1 after the first.
Ellis and Harrington notched back-to-back goals, before an answer from the Presidents made it 5-2. Conn ended the half on a 5-0 run, including two goals from Harington, and markers from both Ellis and Topher Cook (West Palm Beach, Fla.) to lead 10-2 at the break.
The scoring slowed down in the third quarter with just five combined goals. Conn scored three of the goals in the frame, with Cook, Ellis, and Brevin Master (Burlingame, Calif.) all finding the back of the net to lead 13-4 heading to the fourth.
Cook and Harington opened the final frame with a goal each to push the lead to 15-4. W&J answered with a 4-2 run, with both Camels goals coming from Hipsky. Conn ended the game on a 3-0 run, as both Carson Neidert (West Palm Beach, Fla.) and Kale Halfacre (Aurora, Colo.) tallying their first goals, as the Camels came away with the 20-8 win.
Game Three: PSB 19, Conn 12
The opening quarter of Conn's final game was tight as both sides tallied three goals. Ellis recorded all three goals for the Camels as the game was even after one. Keegan Kosiba (Birmingham, Mich.) opened the scoring in the second quarter, putting Conn in front 4-3. PSB answered with five of the final seven goals of the quarter. The two goals for Conn came from Neidert and Podrebarac as the Camels trailed 8-6 at the break.
The scoring exploded in the third quarter as the teams combined for 14 goals. PSB tallied the first goal of the frame, before back-to-back markers from Thomas McDonough (Thousand Oaks, Calif.) and Cook made it 9-8. The Lions answered with four straight goals to make it 13-8. Neidert ended the run for the Camels with a marker, but PSB ended the quarter on a 4-2 run to lead 17-11 heading to the fourth.
The Lions opened the scoring with an early goal in the final frame, before Dixon got the Camels back on the board. PSB added one more goal down the stretch to come away with the 19-12 win.
Conn returns home on Monday, October 27 as the Camels host Iona University at 6:30 p.m. in Lott Natatorium.
