Sept. 27, 2006

BALTIMORE, Md. and WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The 10th-ranked Navy water polo team rallied from a fourth-quarter deficit to edge Johns Hopkins, 15-13, in the CWPA league opener on Wednesday night. Navy then defeated George Washington, 11-8, in the nightcap. The wins improve Navy's record to 12-5 overall.

In the opener, the Mids led 5-3 after one quarter and 8-5 at halftime, but saw JHU outscore them in the third quarter, 6-2, to fall behind 11-10 after three quarters. Navy then outscored the Blue Jays, 5-2, in the fourth quarter for the hard-fought 15-13 win.

"We had way too many defensive lapses tonight," said Navy head coach Mike Schofield. "Part of it was from a lack of effort and some was from bad positioning. Johns Hopkins played very hard and they have a good team. We have a lot of respect for them, and look forward to playing them again on Saturday. We were just very fortunate to win that game tonight."

The Mids were led by Aaron Recko's five goals, while Bram Arnold, Tyler Hill and Chuck Baker tallied four, three and two respectively. Mike Mulvey added one goal. George Naughton, the nation's leader in total saves entering the game, recorded 14 saves in goal.

In the second game, against George Washington, the Mids started fast en route to an 11-8 decision. After jumping out to a 4-1 advantage after one quarter, the Mids led just 6-5 at halftime and 8-6 after three quarters. Navy surrendered three straight goals after taking the 4-1 lead and struggled the rest of the way against the Colonials.

"We started very well, but then had lapses to give up three straight goals and we were in a dogfight the rest of the way," said Schofield. "We still haven't figured out how to stop people and if we don't start soon, it will really hurt us down the road."

Arnold and Baker led Navy with three goals, while Mulvey scored a pair of goals while dishing out two assists. Todd Carlson, Andrew Plumb and Recko scored once. Naughton made nine saves in the goal.

Schofield praised the play of Naughton and Hill in helping Navy to the victories.

"George (Naughton) and Tyler (Hill) had fantastic games, and saved us several times tonight," said Schofield. "Without them, we would be in a world of hurt. They are playing very well defensively, and the rest of the guys have a long way to go."

Navy will battle Bucknell and Johns Hopkins in Lewisburg, Pa., on Saturday at 4:00 p.m.