Nov. 18, 2007
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- The 10th-ranked Navy water polo team rallied from a halftime deficit with five third-quarter goals to defeat 11th-ranked St. Francis (N.Y.), 11-7, on Sunday afternoon. The win gave Navy its eighth CWPA Eastern Championship and second in a row and advanced the Mids to the NCAA Tournament on Dec. 1-2, in Palo Alto, Calif. Navy has now matched a school record with 19 straight wins and set a new record with its 29th win against just five losses.
"We played great, especially in the second half," said Navy head coach Mike Schofield. "We rallied in the third quarter and then took everything they had in the fourth quarter. I am so proud of this team for what they were able to accomplish. To do what they have done this year is a remarkable statement for this program."
Navy trailed 3-2 after one quarter and 5-4 at halftime. After an Andrew Bingham tied the game at five with 5:50 to play in the third quarter, the Mids took the lead for good just 54 seconds later when Chuck Baker scored with 4:56 to play for a 6-5 Navy advantage. Navy would add three more goals in the final five minutes for a 9-5 advantage heading into the fourth quarter.
St. Francis cut the lead to 9-7, but senior Aaron Recko scored the game's final two goals and George Naughton and the Navy defense held firm, securing Navy's 11-7 victory.
Recko led Navy with four goals and was named the tournament MVP for the second straight year. Recko finished the tournament with 11 goals to push his season total to 73, good for ninth on the Navy single-season list. Baker and Mike Mulvey added two goals and Bingham, Tyler Hill and Bram Arnold scored once. Mulvey has scored 72 goals this year, 10th on the Navy single-season list.
George Naughton recorded a career-high 20 saves, which also matched a school record set by Kevin Crisson against George Washington on Sept. 26, 1998. The 20 saves pushed his season total to 311, just eight shy of Crisson's school record of 319 in 1998. Naughton also set the Navy career saves record in the tournament, passing Joe Alton (1993-96). Naughton now has 778 career saves, while Alton is in second with 752.
"Naughton is a big game goalie," added Schofield, who has guided Navy to all eight of its Eastern titles. "But a lot of what we do is a credit to his backup Steve Craney. Craney is just as good as George, and that is what helps make our practices so productive. Credit goes to Steve for accepting his role behind Naughton and helping get us back to the NCAA Tournament."
Navy won the Eastern title for the second straight year, and eighth overall. The Mids also won titles in 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 2000, 2003 and 2006, sporting a 56-22 all-time record in the tournament. Navy will compete in its 13th NCAA Tournament appearance in two weeks.
Schofield was honored as the Eastern Coach of the Year, while Mulvey joined Recko as first-team All-Eastern selections. Tyler Hill and Naughton were named second-team All-Eastern.
Navy will now wait until Nov. 25, to find out its opponent in the NCAA Tournament semifinals. The pairings will be announced on Sunday, Nov. 25, at 10:30 pm, on CSTV.
# GO NAVY #
