BALTIMORE, Md. – The Washington & Jefferson College men's water polo team (0-11, 0-4) dropped the final two matches at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Conference Games, hosted by Johns Hopkins. W&J battled against two nationally ranked opponents on day two. The Presidents opened the day with a 19-10 defeat to the (Div. III RV) Augustana (Ill.) Vikings (7-10, 3-1) and wrapped up the event by falling 24-9 to the (Div. III #3) Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (15-6, 4-0).
 
Augustana (Ill.) 19, W&J 10
Junior Brody Souder (Mechanicsburg, Pa./Cumberland Valley) led the Presidents with seven goals and three steals. Senior Dillon Parker (Nipomo, Calif./Central Coast New Tech) recorded two goals as well. Defensively, junior Hector Santaella (Key Biscayne, Fla./Belen Jesuit Prep) recorded two steals.
 
Augustana got out to a strong start in the opening period out scoring W&J 3-0. Both teams traded points in the second as Augustana went into the halftime interval with a 6-3 advantage. Souder got the Presidents on the board, scoring three goals in the period. Santaella recorded an assist on a man up opportunity. Freshman goalkeeper Michael Stefanko (Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny) recorded an assist as well.
 
The Vikings doubled their advantage in the third period, outscoring W&J 6-3. Parker had two goals in the third on a man advantage. Sophomore Christopher Mitchell (Towson, Md./Loyola Blakefield) and senior Timothy Deutsch (Hazleton, Pa./Hazleton) recorded assists. Souder converted a penalty shot to help keep the Red & Black in the contest. Augustana found an extra gear and got two late goals in the period to take a 12-6 lead into the fourth.
 
Augustana started the final frame on a 4-1 run. W&J kept fighting, but ultimately the team could not cut into the Viking lead and Augustana took the match 19-10. Junior Parker Elliott (Pennsburg, Pa./Upper Perkiomen) started the scoring in the fourth with the assist going to freshman Luke Jacques (Dania Beach, Fla./Fort Lauderdale). Souder recorded his fifth goal of the contest on a set up by freshman Leo Carter (Washington, Pa./Trinity). The junior rounded out the scoring with two additional goals with assists awarded to Stefanko and Santaella.
 
Stefanko got the start in net for the Red & Black and recorded 13 saves, including one on a penalty shot. The freshman also recorded five steals throughout the contest.
 
Johns Hopkins 24, W&J 9
Souder and Parker led the Presidents with three goals apiece. Santaella and Mitchell each recorded two assists as well. Parker also had two steals on the defensive side.
 
The Blue Jays proved why they were the No. 3 team in the Division III poll from the start, outscoring W&J 6-1 in the opening eight minutes. Parker got the Presidents on the board with his first of game two as the lone goal of the period. Johns Hopkins extended their advantage by going on a 5-2 run in the second period. Deutsch and Souder both made use of man advantage opportunities to help keep the Red & Black in striking distance. Johns Hopkins grabbed two late goals in the period to take an 11-3 lead into halftime.
 
Both teams traded goals to begin the third period of play. Parker recorded two goals to start the third, one of which was with a man advantage. Mitchell recorded an assist on the second Parker goal. Souder recorded two additional goals in the third with Santaella assisting on both opportunities. The Blue Jays found an extra gear in the fourth and went on a 5-1 run to close out the contest and take the 24-9 victory. Sophomore Connor Tuegel (Libertyville, Ill./Libertyville) rounded out the scoring for the Red & Black.
 
Stefanko got the start in game two and recorded four saves in the contest. The freshman also had one steal.
 
W&J returns to the pool when they travel to Rock Island, Illinois for week two of the MPSF Conference Games. This event will be hosted by the Augustana Vikings on Saturday (Nov. 7) and Sunday (Nov. 8). The Presidents kick off the event by taking on the Austin Kangaroos at 1:00 p.m. on day one.