WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Navy water polo team (12-9, 4-3 MAWPC) dropped a 14-8 decision on the road against No. 20 George Washington (16-5, 6-2 MAWPC) on Friday night at the Charles E. Smith Center Pool in Washington, D.C. The Midshipmen missed 21 shots on the night and were unable to match the Colonials offensive attack.
 
"George Washington is a very good team," head coach Luis Nicolao said. "They are ranked for a reason. To beat a ranked team, you have to play a nearly flawless game and we did not do that tonight. We missed some shots early and were unable to answer when GW scored."
 
Six Midshipmen scored goals on the night, led by a three-goal performance by Andrew Shashin (Buffalo Grove, Ill.). The sophomore also led the team with three ejections drawn. Navy's offense was hampered by 21 missed shots, finishing the game with a .276 shooting percentage. Defensively, Ronan Williams (Severna Park, Md.) registered seven saves in the contest, while Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) added a pair of stops.
 
George Washington was the first to score, but Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) responded with a goal to knot the score at 1-1. The Colonials used a 3-0 run to regain the lead. Alex Piecuch (Ladera Ranch, Calif.) ended the run with a goal, but the Midshipmen trailed 5-2 at the end of the first quarter. The second quarter saw the home team extend its lead to 10-4 with Navy getting a pair of goals from Shashin.
 
Shashin and Bobby Lee (Santa Ana, Calif.) netted goals in the third quarter, but trailed 13-6 after three complete. Navy outscored George Washington, 2-1, with Aidan Crouch (Moraga, Calif.) and Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.) netting goals during the fourth quarter.
 
Navy returns to action on Saturday, Nov. 3, as the Midshipmen host Wagner (12:00 p.m.) and Fordham (6:00 p.m.) before traveling to Bucknell on Sunday morning (10:00 a.m.) to close the weekend.