ERIE, Pa. - The McKendree University men's water polo team concluded the first day of the Erie Conference Crossover Weekend here Saturday evening with a 12-11 sertback to Johns Hopkins at the Hallman Aquatics Center.
 
With the setback, the Bearcats fall to 2-6 overall and 0-3 in Mid Atlantic Water Polo Conference play. McKendree will conclude the two-day conference crossover on Sunday, Sept. 25 at 11:40 a.m. ET against Mount St. Mary's.
 
Along with late Saturday's loss to Johns Hopkins, the Bearcats also fell 17-7 to George Washington and then suffered a 12-3 loss to Bucknell.
 
Junior center Breno Tebet (Sao Paulo, Brazil/Golden West College) and fifth-year senior Nico Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia/Ovideo) each scored two goals in the loss. All-in-all, a total of nine Bearcats scored at least one goal in the game.
 
JHU jumped out to a 4-2 lead midway through the first period, before McK scored two of the next three goals to pull within 5-4 with 58 seconds left in the period. JHU, though, used a goal from Ian Raley to take a 6-4 lead after the opening eight minutes.
 
The Bearcats, though, would score three of the five goals in the second period to cut JHU's lead to 8-7 at the half. McK's goals in the period were scored by fifth-year senior attacker Tony Sunagawa (Chino Hills, Calif./Chino Hills), sophomore attacker Schuyler Cramer (Thornton, Colo./Horizon) and freshman James Ramey (St. Louis, Mo./Ladue Horton Watkins).
 
JHU would score two of the three goals in the third period to take a 10-8 lead heading into the final period.
 
After the Blue Jays opened the final period with two straight goals to take a 12-8 lead, the Bearcats would score three straight goals to pull within 12-11, but couldn't get that tying goal. In the fourth period, Rodriguez, sophomore attacker Jespyn Bishop (Brighton, Colo./Brighton) and graduate student Josh Carlson (New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln Way West) each scored goals in the period for the Bearcats.
 
Along with his two goals, Tebet had three exclusions, while Cramer and Rodriguez each had two exclusions in the setback
 
Cameron Burns paced JHU with three goals and an exclusion, while Emerson Sullivan and Paul Gensbigler each had two goals in the win.
 
Junior Jimmy Cronin (Naperville, Ill./Metea Valley) played all 32 minutes in goal for the Bearcats and finished with three saves.
 
JHU held a 19-17 edge in shots and a 13-10 advantage in exclusions.