LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Navy water polo team (6-10) was edged, 7-4, by No. 9 San Jose State (8-9) at the Burns Aquatics Center on the campus of Loyola Marymount in the Mids' final game of their California road trip. The Mids tied the game at 3-3 in the third quarter, but a late push by the Spartans gave them the win.
"Defensively, we played very well," head coach
Luis Nicolao said. "We limited a good San Jose State team to just seven goals, but once again, we weren't able to put the ball in the net offensively. We had opportunities, but were not able to score like we needed to. We have a bye next week before resuming conference play. We are going to return home, make adjustments, and prepare for the heart of the conference season."
Defensively, the Midshipmen held the potent Spartan offense to seven goals on 35 shots.
Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) recorded 14 saves in the game, while adding five of Navy's 11 total steals.
Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) and
Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.) added two steals apiece.
Offensively, Navy struggled to find the back of the net. The Mids tallied four goals from four different players.
Tommy McKnew (Tiburon, Calif.),
Spencer Shelley (Grapevine, Texas),
Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.), and Salinas each found the back of the net for the Midshipmen.
Graham Lindner (Bel Air, Md.), Salinas, and Weggeland each registered assists in the game.
In the first quarter, the two teams played stellar defense, limiting offensive production. San Jose State started the scoring with a goal, but Weggeland responded to knot the score at one apiece. The Spartans were able to sneak one past the goalie to go ahead, 2-1, through the first quarter. The second quarter saw the defense remain tight for both squads. San Jose State was able to find the back of the net for a goal, but the score would be the only one for either team in the period.
Navy was able to knot the score at 3-3 in the third quarter. Salinas trimmed the margin to one with a goal and McKnew tied the game at three. San Jose State responded with two goals to close out the quarter to regain the advantage, 5-3. The Spartans increased their edge in the fourth quarter, scoring the first two goals of the period. Shelley stopped the SJSU run with a goal to chip into the lead, 7-4, but that would be it as the nationally-ranked Spartans would hold on for the three-goal victory.
Navy returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 16 as the Midshipmen return to conference play, hosting Johns Hopkins (10:00 a.m.) and Bucknell (7:00 p.m.) at Scott Natatorium in Annapolis.
