ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy water polo team (11-6, 3-0 MAWPC) resumes Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference-East action this weekend with a trio of games. The Midshipmen open the weekend on Friday, Oct. 11 as they travel to Baltimore for a game against Johns Hopkins (5-13, 1-3) at 7:00 p.m. at the Newton White Athletic Center Natatorium. Navy continues the weekend at home on Saturday, Oct. 12, as the Mids face off against La Salle (5-11, 0-6) at 12:00 p.m. and No. 15 Bucknell (9-2, 2-1) at 6:00 p.m. at Scott Natatorium.
Friday's game between the Mids and Blue Jays will be
live streamed.
Scouting the Midshipmen
Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) leads the team with 57 goals and 67 points on the season. The sophomore currently has 144 career points on 111 goals and 33 assists. He is first among active players in career points with
Bobby Lee (Santa Ana, Calif.) who is second with 140 points on 109 career goals and 31 assists. Freshman
Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.) leads the team with 16 assists.
Defensively,
Ronan Williams (Severna Park, Md.) and
Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) led the way with 96 and 46 saves, respectively. Williams leads the way with 12 games played, while Sandberg and
Brandon Shields (Lake Forest, Calif.) have played in eight and seven games, individually.
The Series – Johns Hopkins
The Midshipmen lead the Blue Jays, 56-9, in the all-time series. The Mids have won four of the last five games with the one loss coming in the conference tournament last season by one goal. The last time the two teams met in Baltimore, Salinas tied a Navy school record with nine goals in the game, helping the Mids to a 15-11 victory.
Earlier this season, Navy and JHU met in the annual Navy Open. The Midshipmen posted a 19-8 victory. In the game,
Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.),
Trevor Clark (San Marcos, Calif.), and Salinas each posted hat tricks, while Williams finished the game with 13 saves.
The Series – La Salle
Navy is 7-0 all-time against La Salle. The Midshipmen and Explorers began playing each other in 2016 with the Mids notching a 22-1 victory. The two teams met in the pool four times last season with Navy winning each match up.
The two teams met earlier this season with Navy claiming a 21-13 win on the road. Salinas netted a season-high seven goals to pace the offense, while Williams and Shields notched six saves apiece. The Midshipmen have outscored the Explorers, 130-48, in seven meetings.
The Series – Bucknell
Navy leads the all-time series over Bucknell, 84-24, however, the Midshipmen have dropped the last seven meetings against the Bison. The Mids began the series with a 12-game winning streak and hold a series-long 23-game win streak. Navy won 39 of 40 games in the series between 1995 and 2008.
The last time the two teams met, Bucknell posted a 15-7 win in Lewisburg, Pa. The Midshipmen had seven different players score a goal, while Williams (6 saves) and Shields (3) combined for nine stops.
Last Time Out
Navy dropped a 16-9 decision to No. 10 Loyola Marymount on Sunday afternoon at the Burns Aquatics Center in Los Angeles, Calif. The Mids concluded their California trip, claiming four wins in five games.
Salinas led the team with a hat trick, scoring three of the Midshipmen's nine goals on the day. Six different Mids added goals on the day. Lee paced the offense with a pair of assists.
Defensively, Sandberg worked a complete game at goal. The sophomore recorded nine saves against the top 10 opponent, while adding a steal.
Up Next
Following the games this weekend, the Mids will play a single MAWPC-East game against Fordham on Saturday, Oct. 19 in the Bronx, N.Y. Game time is slated for 11:00 a.m.
