Johns Hopkins University men’s water polo closed the game with a 6-2 run Sunday to defeat Gannon 17-12 in Baltimore, Maryland, in the final game of the Salem Open. Johns Hopkins improved to 6-3 on the season, while Gannon fell to 4-6.
Phillip Long led Johns Hopkins with four goals and one assist. Max Blecher scored a hat trick, and Ben Lucas added three points on two goals and one assist.
Johns Hopkins University Men’s Water Polo Overcomes Early Gannon Lead
Gannon took an early 4-2 lead in the first quarter, with Nikiforos Liantziris scoring twice. Max Blecher answered with a six-on-five goal to cut the deficit to 4-3 after one quarter.
Luke Mendelsohn and Phillip Long scored consecutive goals to open the second quarter and give Johns Hopkins a 5-4 lead. Giacomo Peretti tied the game at five with a penalty shot, but Johns Hopkins scored three straight goals to take an 8-5 lead into halftime.
Gannon opened the third quarter with a 3-1 run and pulled within one with 6:06 remaining in the period. Long responded with two goals in an 81-second span to extend the Johns Hopkins advantage to 11-8.
Liantziris scored twice in a seven-second span to bring Gannon within one at 11-10. Johns Hopkins answered with three consecutive goals from Long, Matthieu Giauque and Blecher to take a 14-10 lead.
Johns Hopkins University Men’s Water Polo Pulls Away Late
Gannon continued to challenge Johns Hopkins in the final period. Dominic Demeritte and Liantziris scored to cut the deficit to two with 4:41 remaining, but Johns Hopkins finished the game with the decisive 6-2 run.
Alec Baker scored twice within a 26-second span, and Lucas added a five-meter goal with 1:33 remaining to seal the victory. Baker finished with two goals, while Giauque also scored for Johns Hopkins.
Luke Mendelsohn and Lucas each blocked two shots. Sebastian Isaacs finished with six saves and two steals.
Johns Hopkins University Men’s Water Polo Hosts George Washington Next
Johns Hopkins will host George Washington on Saturday, September 19, at 1 p.m. The home opener will take place at Barbara & Jerry Procton Pool.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Johns Hopkins University men’s water polo overcame Gannon’s early lead and answered each push throughout the game. The 6-2 closing run secured the 17-12 victory and moved Johns Hopkins to 6-3 on the season.
Source: Original report
