Nov. 3, 2007

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The 10th-ranked Navy water polo team pieced together a pair of strong performances on Saturday to advance to the CWPA Southern Division Tournament finals, which will take place at 12:45 pm on Sunday in Lejuene Hall. The Mids cruised past Gannon, 16-8, and Princeton, 11-5, to reach the finals. Navy is now 25-5 on the season, and has won 15 games in a row, tied for the third-longest streak in school history.

In the opener, a 16-8 win over Gannon, Navy surged to a 5-1 lead after one quarter and pushed the margin to 10-3 at halftime. Navy held a comfortable 14-4 cushion after three quarters. Andrew Bingham and Mike Mulvey led Navy with three goals each. Bram Arnold, Dan Zoellick and Kevin Bell scored twice. George Naughton made six saves in goal. Steve Craney stopped four shots in a reserve role.

In the 11-5 win over Princeton, the Mids surged to a 3-1 lead after one quarter. The margin was stretched to 6-1 at halftime and 9-3 after three quarters. Mulvey and Tyler Hill tallied a hat trick each, while Aaron Recko and Andrew Bingham scored a pair of goals. Naughton made eight saves in a little over three quarters, while Craney stopped five shots.

"We are hoping we can get a loud, rowdy crowd tomorrow at Lejuene Hall. It would be a great way for the Mids to 'work' off their post-Notre Dame hangover and send our seniors out on a high note. They have been vital to our success the last four years and I can't think of a better way to send them out than another Southern Division title," said Navy head coach Mike Schofield.

Navy now owns a 46-4 all-time record in the Southern Division Tournament and have won nine games in a row during the tournament.

Navy will battle the winner of George Washington and Johns Hopkins at 12:45 pm on Sunday in Lejuene Hall.

# GO NAVY #