ANNAPOLIS, Md. – After playing one game in the last three weeks, Navy water polo (12-9, 4-3 MAWPC) returns to the pool for three Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference games over the weekend. On Saturday, the Mids open the weekend at home with games against Wagner (14-12, 6-2) at noon and Fordham (12-13, 4-5) at 6:00 p.m. The Midshipmen close out the weekend on the road with a game at No. 16 Bucknell (18-6, 9-1) at 10:00 a.m. on Sunday. Navy's game against Bucknell will be live streamed on the Patriot League Network.
 
Players to Watch
Freshman Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) and sophomore Bobby Lee (Santa Ana, Calif.) have emerged as offensive leaders for the Midshipmen. Salinas leads the team with 58 total points, netting 36 goals with a team-best 22 assists. His 36 goals are behind only Lee, who leads the team with 47 goals and is second on the squad with 54 total points. Defensively, Andrew Shashin (Buffalo Grove, Ill.) leads the team with 50 ejections drawn and Jake Haines (Ashburn, Va.) paces the team with 18 steals. Ronan Williams (Severna Park, Md.) has played in 18 out of 21 games at goalie, notching a team-high 154 saves.
 
Last Time Out
Navy dropped a 14-8 decision on the road against No. 20 George Washington 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.
 
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.
 
Last Time vs. Wagner (L, 8-6 – Sept. 16, 2018)
The Midshipmen posted one of their most solid performances of the season. Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) opened the scoring to give Navy an early 1-0 advantage. The Seahawks answered with a goal, but the Mids regained the lead with a goal by Nate Reiff (Wheeling, Ill.). Wagner tied the game to end the first quarter and took its first lead of the game early in the second stanza. Trevor Clark's (San Marcos, Calif.) first goal of the day knotted the score at 3-3, but the Seahawks would go into halftime with a 4-3 edge.
 
In the second half, Crawford Smith (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) tied the score at four, but back-to-back goals by Wagner pushed the advantage to 6-4. Bobby Lee (Santa Ana, Calif.) cut the deficit to 6-5 to end the third quarter. Salinas found the back of the net for the second time to tie the score at six in fourth quarter. Wagner scored the final two goals of the game to claim the 8-6 victory.
 
Last Time vs. Fordham (W, 9-8 – Sept. 23, 2018)
Navy finished the weekend 2-0 after posting a 9-8 victory over Fordham at Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center in the Bronx, N.Y.
 
Navy was once again led by Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) and Bobby Lee (Santa Ana, Calif.) Salinas paced the offense with a team-high four points (3g 1a), while Lee followed with three goals for his second hat trick of the weekend. Trevor Clark (San Marcos, Calif.), Cole Jacobs (Naperville, Ill.), and Crawford Smith (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) each added goals in the game.
 
Ronan Williams (Severna Park, Md.) came up big for the Midshipmen at goal. The junior limited the Rams to under 10 goals, while boasting 11 saves in the game. It is the second time this season that Williams has notched double-digit saves against Fordham. He finished with 15 stops against the Rams at the Navy Open the first weekend of the season. Williams is averaging 13 saves per game against Fordham this season.
 
Last Time vs. Bucknell (L, 12-8 – Sept. 29, 2018)
Navy split a day-night doubleheader with Johns Hopkins and No. 15 Bucknell. The Mids used a record-tying nine-goal performance by freshman Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) to top the Blue Jays, 15-11. In the nightcap, the Midshipmen were unable to overcome the offensive firepower for the nationally-ranked Bison, dropping a 12-8 decision.
 
In the second game, the Midshipmen fell to the nationally-ranked Bison, 12-8. The Mids were unable to keep pace offensively, missing several key opportunities. Navy closed the game with 21 missed shots, including a penalty shot in the four-point loss.
 
Bucknell struck first, netting a pair of goals before Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.) found the back of the net for Navy to cut the deficit in half, 2-1, at the end of the first quarter. Salinas knotted the score at two 21 seconds into the second quarter, but three goals by the Bison closed out the first half with the Mids trailing 5-2.
 
In the third quarter, Salinas again scored a quick goal, finding the back of the net just 23 ticks into the period. Bucknell answered with two goals, but Weggeland scored his second of the game to pull to within three. Following a Bison goal, Jesse Hainze (Bellevue, Wash.) snuck one past the goalie to once again pull the Mids to within three. Bucknell closed the quarter with a goal to go into the final frame up 9-5.
 
The Bison were the first to score in the fourth quarter, but Lee responded with back-to-back goals to close the margin to 10-7. Bucknell answered with two goals of its own. Carson Miller (San Diego, Calif.) provide the final margin, 12-8, with his first goal of the night.