ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy water polo team (13-10, 5-4 MAWPC) split a day-night doubleheader with Wagner (14-13, 6-3) and Fordham (14-13, 6-5) on Saturday at the Scott Natatorium in Annapolis, Md. The Midshipmen started the day with an 11-10 victory over the Seahawks before dropping the nightcap to the Rams, 11-8.
 
"This is a really tough league and everyone is playing their best down the stretch," head coach Luis Nicolao said. "Coming off of an intense game against Wagner, we got off to a slow start against Fordham. To win both games of a doubleheader is tough, but I am proud of the guys for the way they battled today."
 
Navy was led on the day by freshman Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) who finished the day with a pair of hat tricks. The rookie paced the team with five goals against Wagner and three against Fordham. He was joined by Carson Miller (San Diego, Calif.), Bobby Lee (Santa Ana, Calif.), Trevor Clark (San Marcos, Calif.), and William Lowdon (Hillsborough, Calif.) with multiple goals on the day. Miller had three goals total, including a pair against the Seahawks. Lee finished the game against the Rams with a pair of scores, while Clark and Lowdon notched one goal apiece in each game.
 
Ronan Williams (Severna Park, Md.) worked a complete game against Wagner, earning the win. The junior posted 17 saves, while allowing 10 goals en route to the win. Williams started the second game, but gave way to freshman Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) in the second quarter. Sandberg notched 10 saves while surrendering five goals. Senior Francis Kim (Houston, Texas) entered the game in the fourth, but did not face a shot on goal.
 
Navy returns to action on Sunday morning as the Midshipmen travel to Lewisburg, Pa. for a 10:00 a.m. game against No. 16 Bucknell. The game will be live streamed on the Patriot League Network.
 
Game 1 Recap – Navy 11, Wagner 10
In game one, the Midshipmen found themselves down 4-1 early in the second quarter. The lone goal for the Mids came from Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.). in the first quarter to knot the game at 1-1 early. Salinas stopped the Eagles' 3-0 run with back-to-back goals to give the freshman a hat trick in the first half and pull the Mids to within one, 4-3. Trevor Clark (San Marcos, Calif.) tied the game at 4-4 with a goal off of a pass from Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.). Wagner responded with a goal to regain the lead, but back-to-back goals by William Lowdon (Hillsborough, Calif.) and Crawford Smith (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) gave Navy its first lead of the game heading into halftime.
 
In the second half, Wagner opened the scoring with a game-tying goal, but Salinas converted a pass from Nate Reiff (Wheeling, Ill.) to give Navy back the lead. The Seahawks tied the game at 7-7, but once again Salinas found the back of the net. Bobby Wall (San Mateo, Calif.) extended the Mids' advantage, catching the ball in front of the goal on a breakaway and spinning 360-degrees to sneak the ball past the goalkeeper. Carson Miller (San Diego, Calif.) stole the ball on the next possession and finished with his first goal of the game. Miller closed out the third quarter with his second goal off of a Jake Haines (Ashburn, Va.) pass to put Navy up 11-7 through three quarters.
 
The fourth quarter, the Midshipmen relied on their defense to preserve the victory. The Mids worked the clock and limited the opportunities for the Seahawks. Wagner was able to score three goals, but could not score the equalizer, giving Navy an 11-10 victory. The win was the first for the Midshipmen over the Seahawks since the first game of the series on Sept. 25, 2016, snapping Navy's streak of six consecutive losses to Wagner.
 
Game 2 Recap – Fordham 11, Navy 8
Against Fordham, Navy got off to a slow start, getting outscored 6-2 in the first quarter. The Rams jumped out to an early 2-0 lead before Salinas found the back of the net to cut the deficit to one. Fordham responded with the next four goals to take a five-goal advantage before Salinas scored off a Jesse Hainze (Bellevue, Wash.) assist.
 
Trailing 6-2 heading into the second quarter, the Midshipmen outscored the Rams 4-2 to cut the margin to just a pair heading into halftime. Lee converted a penalty shot and Salinas followed with his third goal of the game. Fordham scored on a penalty shot, but Clark answered on a fast break off a pass from Wall. After a Ram goal, Lee closed out the half with his second goal of the quarter with an assist from Cole Jacobs (Naperville, Ill.).
 
In the second half, defense limited the scoring. Fordham scored first in the third quarter, but Miller answered with a goal off of a spin move to keep the game close, 9-7. The Rams scored the first two goals of the fourth quarter, but Lowdon took a pass from Kevin Volkov (Freehold, N.J.) and buried it in the back of the net to end the mini run. The goal would be the last for the Midshipmen as the Rams claimed the 11-8 win.