ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 20 Navy water polo team (15-12) opened play in the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Tournament with a 20-13 victory over the seventh-seed Gannon Golden Knights (13-9) on Friday evening in Lejeune Hall in Annapolis. With the win, the Midshipmen advance to the semifinals to face George Washington.
"I thought we played well tonight," CWPA Hall of Fame head coach
Luis Nicolao said. "Our goal was to advance to the semifinals tomorrow and play a meaningful game and we did that. We were able to get a lot of people into the game, which is always good. It is always good to get that first win of a tournament under your belt. We will have a tough game tomorrow, but we are excited for another opportunity to play."
Offensively, the Midshipmen recorded a season-high 20 goals in the win. Eleven different Midshipmen scored a goal in the game, including five with multiple scores.
Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.),
Nathan Duchez (San Jose, Calif.), and
Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.) each finished the game with hat tricks. Salinas led the team with four goals, while Duchez and Kahn added three apiece.
Michael Heller (Menlo Park, Calif.) and
Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.) chipped in two each. In addition to four goals, Salinas also added in three assists to pace the team with seven total points. Kahn, Weggeland,
Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.),
Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.), and
Chris Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.) added two helpers each.
Navy used three goalies in the game, finishing with 16 saves as a team. Starter
Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) earned the win, finishing the game with 11 saves, three steals, and an assist, while surrendering 11 goals in just over three quarters of play. He gave way to
Owen Gurich (Long Beach, Calif.) who worked the next three minutes between the posts, recording five saves and two steals, giving up just a pair of scores.
Jonas Greer (Los Angeles, Calif.) closed out the game, working the final three minutes with a clean scoresheet, a save and a pair of steals.
Gannon was the first team to score, converting the first five-meter attempt of the game. Navy responded as Kahn scored back-to-back goals to give the Midshipmen their first lead of the game. The Golden Knights knotted the score at two, but Salinas scored his first goal of the game to regain the lead. Following a GU score, Heller notched back-to-back goals to give Navy a lead they would not relinquish. Duchez scored his first of the evening to push the advantage to three, but a last-second score by Gannon closed the gap to 6-4 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second, Salinas started the scoring, burying a five-meter attempt in the back of the net. The Golden Knights answered, but Salinas, Duchez, and
Tommy McKnew (Tiburon, Calif.) each scored to extend the Mids' advantage to 10-5. The two teams traded five-meter goals with
Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.) converting for Navy. Following a Gannon goal, the Midshipmen used scores by Salinas and Weggeland to send the game into halftime with a Navy in front 13-7.
The Midshipmen opened up the third quarter with a 4-1 run. The run was powered by Clark, Altmayer, Kahn, and Kim. The Golden Knights responded with two goals to end the third quarter.
Gannon closed the gap to 17-11 to start the fourth quarter, but Weggeland and Duchez answered. Back-to-back goals by the Knights closed the gap to 19-13, but
Henry Williams (San Diego, Calif.) provided the final margin of 20-13.
Navy is set to play in the semifinals on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. The Midshipmen will play George Washington. The games will be live streamed on CWPATV.com at a cost of $10 per game or $25 for a weekend pass.
