CLAREMONT, Calif. – The Navy water polo team (6-7) split a pair of games on Friday at the Gary Troyer Memorial Tournament in Claremont, Calif. The Midshipmen started the day, dropping a 12-8 decision to tournament host Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (5-7) at the Axelrood Aquatics Center. The Mids rebounded in the second game of the day with a decisive 14-3 victory over Biola.
 
"Honestly, we didn't play the quality of water polo that we need to play to be successful," head coach Luis Nicolao said. "In the first game, we did not play well at all defensively. Credit to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps. We did play better against Biola. We were more focused and did much better defensively. We were able to get into a rhythm offensively. We will have two really tough games tomorrow against some ranked teams. It will be tough, but we are excited about the opportunity to go up against top competition."
 
Offensively, 18 players tallied points on the day, including five who netted multiple goals. Team captain Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) paced the squad with six points scoring a team-best four goals to go along with two assists. Tommy McKnew (Tiburon, Calif.) registered his first collegiate hat trick against Biola, finishing the day with three goals. Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.), Nathan Duchez (San Jose, Calif.), and Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.) each netted a pair of goals on the day, while Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.) led all players with three helpers on the day.
 
At goal, Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) earned a victory over Biola. The sophomore recorded 12 saves and a pair of steals, while surrendering just three goals. In the first game, Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) tallied eight saves and a pair of saves against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
 
Navy returns to action on Saturday with a pair of games against ranked opponents. The Mids conclude the Gary Troyer Memorial Tournament against No. 14 Santa Clara (1:15 p.m. ET) before heading to Los Angeles to take on No. 3 UCLA (9:00 p.m. ET).
 
Game 1 Recap: Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 12, Navy 8
In game one of the day, Salians recorded his fifth hat trick of the season, leading the offensive attack with three goals. Clark, Payton Comstock (Clarendon Hills, Ill.), Duchez, Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.), and Weggeland added scores in the contest. Altmayer led the team with two assists, while Clark, Salinas, and Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.) each added helpers.
 
Defensively, Sandberg worked a complete game at goal. He registered eight saves and a pair of steals, while surrendering 12 goals.
 
The first quarter was back and forth. Kahn was the first to score, putting the Midshipmen in front early. The Stags responded with a goal, but Comstock found the back of the net to give the Mids a 2-1 edge. Tied 2-2, Duchez gave Navy the lead for the third time in the quarter with a goal, but the home team knotted the score at 3-3 through one quarter. Clark started off the second quarter with a goal to put the Midshipmen in front, but CMS responded with four straight goals to close out the half in front 7-4.
 
In the second half, Navy was able to get into a bit of a groove offensively. Following a Claremont-Mudd-Scripps goal, Navy scored four of the next five goals. Salinas recorded a hat trick in the quarter, while Weggeland notched a score to close the gap to 9-8 through three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Midshipmen were unable to find the back of the net. CMS scored three goals to provide the final margin, 12-8.
 
Game 2 Recap: Navy 14, Biola 3
The second game of the day saw 12 Midshipmen combine for 14 goals. McKnew led the way with three goals for his first collegiate hat trick. At goal, Capobianco allowed just three goals, while registering 12 saves and a pair of steals.
 
McKnew got things started for Navy as the freshman began a 5-0 run for the Midshipmen to open the game. Salinas, Duchez, Clark, and Altmayer followed to put the Mids up five after one quarter. Biola started the second quarter with a goal, but scores from McKnew and Chris Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.) sent the game into halftime with Navy in front, 7-1.
 
The Eagles opened the third quarter with a goal, but the Midshipmen defense thwarted any scoring opportunities the remainder of the quarter. Weggeland, Erik Nordquist (San Diego, Calif.), and McKnew pushed Navy's advantage to 10-2. The Mids continued to roll in the fourth quarter as Graham Lindner (Bel Air, Md.), Jordan Corpuz (Glendale, Calif.), and Kyle Yelensky (Stamford, Conn.) increased the lead to 13-2. Biola cut the margin to 10, but Jamie Cassidy (Greenwich, Conn.) punctuated the 11-goal victory with a score.