The men’s water polo team opened Southern Division play Tuesday night, falling 19-11 to league rival Johns Hopkins.

Johns Hopkins, ranked second in Division III and a program that’s received votes for the national Top 20, raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter. GW netted four in the second quarter, but the Blue Jays matched them goal for goal, heading to halftime with a 9-4 lead.

Johns Hopkins outscored the Colonials 5-2 in the third quarter, giving them a 14-6 lead, and though GW (5-7) scored five goals over the final minutes of play, the Blue Jays once again matched them, leading to the 19-11 final tally.

Junior Nate Little and sophomore Ridvan Pehlivan each tallied a hat trick, junior Daniel Tyner and sophomore Brian Mojica each added two, and freshman Bogdan Petkovic added one. Senior Cameron Illes racked up 15 saves over play, and is 43 away from the program all-time saves record.