By Scott Padula
Writer
The men’s water polo team started their CWPA divisional play this past weekend on the road with a double overtime loss to Johns Hopkins 11-9 and two wins against No. 16 Navy and George Washington 10-9 and 10-8, respectively. After this weekend, the Orange and Blue are 7-2 overall and 2-1 in CWPA play.
The Bison faced Johns Hopkins in their first game of the weekend. The Blue Jays jumped out to an early 6-3, but the Bison, led by Beau Caillouette ’12 and Brian Barron ’13, mounted a furious comeback in the second half, outscoring Hopkins 5-2 and forcing the game into overtime. The Orange and Blue were unable to hold off the Blue Jays and lost by a final score of 11-9. Caillouette, Barron, and Jack Else ’14 registered multi-goal games, while Alex Nowlin ’14 and Barron had a pair of assists each. Matt Napleton ’13 stabilized the defense with 14 saves.
In their first action Sunday, the Orange and the Blue faced No. 16 Navy in Annapolis, Md. The Bison started with a 7-4 advantage into the first half, and went on to win 10-9. Napleton recorded three assists and 12 saves. Stephen Norton ’13 tallied his second career multi-goal game. Caillouette and Else also found the back of the net twice.
“Our center play was very good and is improving with each practice. Our counter attack and our defense will be the foundation of our success and we need to continue to develop those as we progress through the season,” Napleton said.
In the final game of the weekend, the Bison defeated George Washington 10-8. The Orange and Blue outscored the Colonials in every quarter except the fourth. Else led all scorers with a hat trick, while Nowlin registered two goals and five assists, bringing his season assist total to 33. In goal, Napleton recorded a new career high, stopping 16 shots and giving him 84 saves on the season.
“This weekend we played as a team and stuck to our game plan. We need to work on our defense and communication throughout the game. Over these next two weeks we will condition a lot and we know that we have a lot more to work on in order to be successful this year,” Else said.
The Orange and the Blue will have a week off before they head to Princeton to resume conference play on Saturday, Sept. 8.