BRONX, N.Y. – The Navy water polo team (15-13) posed a 14-10 victory over La Salle (2-22) on Saturday afternoon at the 2018 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Championship at Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center on the campus of Fordham University in the Bronx, N.Y.
 
"Today was a good day," head coach Luis Nicolao stated. "La Salle refused to give up and gave us a fight the whole game, but our guys continued to fight and earned the win. It was a one-point game heading into the fourth quarter, but the team stepped up and did what they needed to do to earn the victory."
 
Seven different Midshipmen scored in the game, including four who netted multiple goals. Bobby Lee (Santa Ana, Calif.) led the way with four goals, while Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) chipped in three goals. Nate Reiff (Wheeling, Ill.) and Andrew Shashin (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) both contributed a pair of goals apiece.
 
Ronan Williams (Severna Park, Md.) earned the victory, posting 12 saves in the game, including seven stops in the second quarter.
 
Navy was the first team to score, as Salinas found the back of the net a minute into the game. La Salle knotted the score at on, but Lee responded with his first goal of the game. Tied 2-2, the Midshipmen regained the advantage with Salinas' second goal of the game. Shashin gave the Mids a two-goal edge, scoring with 13 ticks on the clock in the first quarter.
 
In the second quarter, Jesse Hainze (Bellevue, Wash.) extended the lead with a goal two minutes into the period. The Explorers used back-to-back goals to close the gap to one, 5-4, but the Midshipmen closed out the quarter with goals by Trevor Clark (Santa Marcos, Calif.) and Crawford Smith (Mechanicsburg, Pa.).
 
Salinas recorded a hat trick in the game, burying a ball into the back of the net to start the third quarter. After a La Salle goal, Reiff put Navy ahead 9-5 with 4:50 to play in the quarter. The Explorers closed out the third with a 3-0 run to trim the margin to one, 9-8, heading into the final quarter.
 
In the fourth, Lee scored three of the Mids' five goals to help secure the victory. Lee put Navy up 10-8 with his first goal of the quarter. After a La Salle goal, Lee responded with another goal. Reiff extended the advantage to three, 12-9, with his second goal of the half. The Explorers scored a goal, but Lee and Shashin closed out the game with goals to give the Mids a 14-10 victory.
 
Navy returns to action for the final game of the 2018 season on Sunday morning as the Midshipmen take on Johns Hopkins (8-19) in the fifth-place game slated for 10:30 a.m. Live video ($) will be available for the game.
 
MAWPC Tournament Schedule
Friday, November 16
Game 1 – 3:00 p.m. – (1) Bucknell 21, (8) La Salle 6
Game 2 – 4:30 p.m. – (4) Fordham 15, (5) Navy 8
Game 3 – 6:00 p.m. – (2) George Washington 16, (7) McKendree 6
Game 4 – 7:30 p.m. – (3) Wagner 9, (6) Johns Hopkins 7
 
Saturday, November 17
Game 5 – 1:30 p.m. – (5) Navy 14, (8) La Salle 10
Game 6 – 3:00 p.m. – (6) Johns Hopkins 18, (7) McKendree 6
Game 7 – 4:30 p.m. – (1) Bucknell 12, (4) Fordham 11
Game 8 – 6:00 p.m. – (2) George Washington 16, (3) Wagner 14
 
Sunday, November 18
7th Place Game – 9:00 a.m. – (8) La Salle vs. (7) McKendree
5th Place Game – 10:30 a.m. – (5) Navy vs. (6) Johns Hopkins
3rd Place Game – 12:00 p.m. – (4) Fordham vs. (3) Wagner
Championship Game – 1:30 p.m. – (1) Bucknell vs. (2) George Washington