While the GW men’s water polo team put up some good shots Wednesday night at the Smith Center, it was not enough to get the job done against Johns Hopkins University, which handed the Colonials an 11-7 defeat and their sixth straight loss.
GW (3-10) looked strong at the start when freshman Gabe Miller was the first to put a point on the scoreboard. Johns Hopkins responded quickly, however, scoring three goals in the next five minutes including one on a penalty shot.
Down 4-1 after the first period, GW seemed to answer back at the beginning of the second period with Miller scoring his second goal while teammates Josh Gimpelson and Nick Hopman each added a goal. But GW’s offensive effort was no match for Johns Hopkins as the Colonials let up two more goals in the second and three more in the third.
There are flashes when our defense looks good but on the whole it is still lacking, said GW head coach Scott Reed. Averaging 10 goals let-up per game is way too many, and until we learn to play on the same page this is how we will end up, giving up too many opportunities.
The Colonials scored only once in the third period on a strong shot by freshman Patrick Dodge and scored on goals by Gimpelson and Dodge in the final period, but Johns Hopkins goals late sealed GW’s fate. Many of GW’s shots were not on goal, indicating a need for the team to focus on shot placement.
Our inability to put the ball in the net really hurt us, Reed said. We have to cash in on an open net and take advantage.