ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy water polo team (1-0) kicked off the 2018 campaign with a 9-7 victory over Iona in the Mids' first game of the Navy Open. The win was the first for first-year head coach Luis Nicolao as the leader of the Midshipmen's water polo program. Navy closed out the day with an exhibition game against Lindenwood with a 12-12 tie.
 
"It was nice to get that first game under our belt," Nicolao said. "The guys have been looking forward to this weekend for a while. We were able to come out today, get a victory and let a bunch of guys get some time in the pool. We are looking forward to playing that Ivy League school from N.J. tomorrow morning, and continuing to improve with each game."
 
With the win, Navy improve to 48-0 against Iona. The water polo team has now won three consecutive games dating back to last season.
 
The Midshipmen continue play in the 2018 Navy Open on Sunday, Sept. 2 as the Mids take on No. 13 Princeton (9:00 a.m.) and Fordham (2:00 p.m.) at Lejeune Hall.
 
Game 1 Recap – Navy 9, Iona 7
Against Iona, sophomore Bobby Lee (Santa Ana, Calif.) paced the team, scoring a career-best five of the team's nine goals. For Lee, it was his first hat trick of the season and his fourth hat trick of his career. He was joined by Jake Haines (Ashburn, Va.) and Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) who finished the game with two goals apiece.
 
At goal, Ronan Williams (Severna Park, Md.) earned his first victory of the season allowing just seven goals with 17 saves to his credit. He was aided by a defense that tallied five steals, including a team-high two takeaways by Haines.
 
Navy started the game with a 3-0 run with a pair of goals by Lee sandwiched around a goal by Haines. Iona closed the gap to one with back-to-back goals, but Lee countered with his third goal of the game. Salinas netted his first collegiate goal to push the lead to 5-2 and Lee closed out the half with his fourth score of the opening frame.
 
In the second half, Navy used a quick strike by Haines to go ahead 7-2, but a goal by the Gaels trimmed the margin to 7-3 at the end of the third quarter. Iona cut the deficit to 7-4 with a quick goal, but Salinas' second goal of the game extended the advantage back to four. Back-to-back Iona goals closed the gap to two at 8-6, but Lee scored his fifth and final goal to push the lead to three with two and a half minutes to play. The defense was able to limit the Gaels to one goal over the final two and a half minutes of play to claim the 9-7 victory.
 
Exhibition Game Recap – Navy 12, Lindenwood 12
In the exhibition game, the Midshipmen used a multitude of younger players with 13 of the 16 players seeing action being freshmen or sophomores. The Mids trailed by three, 10-7, late in the third quarter before rallying to take the lead, 11-10 and 12-11, before concluding the game in a 12-all tie.
 
Navy was led by William Lowdon (Hillsborough, Calif.) who tallied four points on three goals and an assist. Bobby Wall (San Mateo, Calif.) and Salinas each had a pair of goals.
 
The Midshipmen used a pair of goalies in the game. Brandon Shields (Lake Forest, Calif.) earned the start, while Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) was between the posts for the second half. Shields recorded five saves, while surrendering seven goals. Sandburg closed out the game with seven stops, allowing five scores.
 
In the final 10 minutes of the game, the Midshipmen rallied from down three, outscoring the Lions, 5-2. Salinas pulled the Mids to within two, 10-8, to close out the third quarter. Lowdon found the back of the net to cut margin to one and Wall converted a 5-meter attempt to knot the score at 10-10. Crawford Smith (Mechanicsburg, Pa.) closed out the 4-0 run with the go-ahead goal. After surrendering the equalizer, Declan Harrison (Vista, Calif.) rocketed a shot into the back of the net with just 47 ticks remaining to put Navy up 12-11. With 10 seconds remaining, Lindenwood was able to knot the score at 12. Because the game was an exhibition, it ended in a draw.