ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The Navy water polo team (8-10, 3-1 MAWPC-East) swept a day-night Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) doubleheader on Saturday. The Mids opened the day with a 14-10 victory over Johns Hopkins (1-12, 0-3) at the Newton White Athletic Center – Natatorium in Baltimore, Md. before closing the day with an 11-10 win over Bucknell (7-9, 2-4) at Scott Natatorium in Annapolis.
"Today was a good day," head coach
Luis Nicolao said. "At this time of year, every game is tough. Everyone in the conference knows everyone. They know their strengths and weaknesses. They know tendencies and styles. You can throw the records out the window. To come away with two conference wins today is huge. We still have things we can improve on, but I am happy with how the team performed today."
Offensively, eight different Midshipmen scored on the day, including seven who notched multiple goals.
Merle Richman (La Jolla, Calif.) paced the offense with five goals in the two games. The junior opened the day with two goals before closing the twin bill with his first hat trick of the season, including the game-winning goal.
Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.),
Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.), and
Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) each finished with four goals on the day, while
Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.) notched three scores.
Michael Heller (Menlo Park, Calif.) and
Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.) added two goals with
Travis Berzins (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) ending the day with a score.
Defensively,
Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and
Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) both saw action at goal. Capobianco started against Johns Hopkins, recording eight saves, six steals, and three assists, while surrendering nine goals. Sandberg entered the game against JHU in the fourth quarter. He registered a save and a goal allowed. In the nightcap, Capobianco worked the complete game. The sophomore recorded 13 saves, a steal, and an assist against the Bison, surrendering 10 goals.
Navy returns to action on Friday, Oct. 22, as the Midshipmen host MAWPC newcomer Mount St. Mary's. The game is slated for 7:00 p.m. at Scott Natatorium.
Game 1 Recap: Navy 14, Johns Hopkins 10
Navy opened the day with a 14-10 victory over Johns Hopkins at the Newton White Athletic Center – Natatorium in Baltimore, Md. Clark paced the team with four goals to lead the Mids to the win.
Navy was the first team to score as Salinas and Weggeland each found the back of the net to put the Mids in front 2-0. The home team scored to cut the lead in half, but Clark's first goal of the day pushed the advantage back to two. Johns Hopkins knotted the score at 3-3 with a pair of goals, including a five-meter opportunity. Richman converted a five-meter opportunity of his own to regain the lead for Navy. Clark closed out the first quarter with his second goal to put the visitors in front, 5-3.
In the second quarter, the Blue Jays rattled off three straight scores to take a 6-5 advantage. Richman tied the game at six with his second goal of the day. Altmayer gave the Mids the lead that they would not relinquish. Salinas slipped one by the goalie to give the Midshipmen an 8-6 edge heading into halftime.
The Midshipmen outscored Hopkins 4-1 in the third quarter. Weggeland opened the scoring with a goal, his second of the game. JHU responded with a goal of their own, but back-to-back scores by Clark, along with a Berzins goal closed out the third quarter with Navy in front 12-7.
In the fourth quarter, Navy used goals from Heller and Altmayer to counter three scores by Johns Hopkins to provide the final score of 14-10.
Game 2 Recap: Navy 11, Bucknell 10
In the second game, the two teams countered, staying even nearly the entire game.
Altmayer started the scoring with a tip-in goal 30 seconds into the game. Defense for each team limited opportunities, but Bucknell was able to counter with a score with two and a half minutes to play. The one goal would be all each team would get in the first quarter.
Bucknell opened the second quarter with back-to-back scores to take a 3-1 lead. Heller scored to trim the margin to one, but the Bison answered with a goal to push the advantage back to two. Richman scored his first goal of the game to cut the lead to one and Weggeland knotted the score at 4-4 with a goal. With time winding down, Altmayer found the back of the net as time expired to give Navy a one-goal advantage at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Mids were able to extend the lead to three. Salinas scored back-to-back goals, including burying a five-meter opportunity into the back of the net. The visitors countered with two goals of their own to trim the margin to one. Kahn scored his first goal of the game to push the lead back to two, but a Bison score closed the gap to one. Richman scored his second goal of the game to give Navy a two-goal edge, but Bucknell closed the quarter with a goal.
Kahn opened the fourth quarter with a goal, but back-to-back scores by Bucknell knotted the score at 10-10 with three minutes to play. With 2:30 remaining in the game, Richman completed the hat trick with his third goal of the game. The go-ahead goal proved to be the game winner as defense for both teams prevented any further scoring.
