ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Navy water polo team began its journey in the CWPA Championship tournament with a Friday afternoon win over Iona by a score of 14-12. Leading wire-to-wire, the sixth-seeded Mids used a strong 6-0 start to the game to help advance into the tournament's quarterfinals. Hat tricks by Carpenter Warren (Jr., Baltimore, Md.) and David Huber (So., Fort Washington, Pa.) highlighted Navy's offensive effort in the action at Lejeune Hall.

The matchup between the sixth and 11th-seeded teams went according to paper as the host Mids jumped out to a quick 4-0 by the end of the first quarter. Thomas Patterson (Sr., Orange, Calif.) kicked off the scoring with a goal at 5:59. After a Carl Dowzicky (Jr., Collegeville, Pa.) marker at 4:30, Warren closed out the period with back-to-back goals to give Navy a four-goal advantage.

In the second quarter, Huber helped the Mids expand their lead out to a 6-0 margin with goals on consecutive possessions at 5:35 and 4:50. After 11:33 of scoreless play to open the game, Iona finally broke onto the scoreboard with a Jake Lloyd tally at 4:27. With the score 6-1, the teams notched three combined goals down the stretch, two for the Gaels and one for the Mids. P.J. Taylor (Sr., Dallas, Texas) scored for Navy.

Coming out after the halftime break with the score, 7-3, Iona cut its deficit to three goals by the 5:59 mark with a power play goal by Kyle Elmore. Sensing that their opponent was zeroing in on them, the Mids kicked back into high gear over the final 5:42 of the period as their offense netted four goals and their defense allowed just one, a late score with nine seconds left in the period. Scorers for Navy during its 4-0 run included, Robert Sutherland (Jr., Denton, Texas) twice, Lucas MacLellan (Jr., Yorba Linda, Calif.) and Huber.

With the score 11-5, the Mids scored three goals over the first 3:40 of play in the fourth quarter to stretch their lead out to 14-7. Will Weggeland (Jr., Riverside, Calif.), Thomas Allen (Jr., Fresno, Calif.) and Warren all scored for Navy during this 3-2 run. With a seven-goal lead, the Mids withstood a late Gael offensive burst in the final four minutes to win by a final score of 14-12.

For the game, 13 different Navy players recorded either a goal or assist versus Iona. Warren led the contingent with six points on three goals and three assists. Other multi-point scorers for the Mids included, Huber (3g, 1a), Sutherland (2g), Steven Emde (2a) and Taylor (1g, 1a).

In goal, Garrett Sabesky (Jr., Lakeside, Calif.) played the first three quarters and made nine saves, while allowing five goals. He further helped Navy's defensive effort with a two steals.

With the win, the Mids advance into Friday's third quarterfinal match versus the third-seeded Harvard Crimson. The two teams met early this season at the Brown Classic with Harvard earning a 13-9 victory. A 4-0 goal run in the fourth quarter by the Crimson turned an 8-8 game into a comfortable margin down the stretch in the eventual Harvard win. The action between the two teams is set for 6 p.m. at Navy's Lejeune Hall.