ANNAPOLIS, Md. – For the first time since 2009, the No. 20 Navy water polo team (4-3) will host Air Force (8-1) in a Service Academy clash at Lejeune Hall at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 23. The game will be live streamed on ESPN+ with Pete Medhurst calling all of the action.
 
Navy and Air Force will meet for the 33rd time in series history and the first time since 2019. The Midshipmen hold a 23-9 advantage in the all-time series, including winning the last two meetings between the teams (2018, '19). Prior to 2018, Air Force won three consecutive games against the Midshipmen (2015, '16, '17), snapping a streak of 10 consecutive victories by Navy (2001-09).
 
The two teams play each other regularly, but Thursday's meeting marks the first time since 2009 that the two teams will play in Annapolis. Generally, the two teams square off against one another at a neutral site.
 
Media Coverage
The game between Navy and Air Force will be broadcast on ESPN+, which is a subscription-based streaming service that requires patrons to sign-up for monthly or yearly plans prior to tuning into the contest.
 
In addition, fans can follow Navy water polo on social media. For all in-game action, follow the Midshipmen on Twitter at @NavyWaterPolo. For more information on the Mids water polo team, follow them on Instagram (@NavyWaterPolo) and Facebook (@NavyWaterPolo).
 
Accessing the USNA
The USNA is closed to all vehicles without a Department of Defense-approved identification card. All other visitors are encouraged to park downtown and walk through the security gates at Gate 1. When walking on, those ages 18 and over must present a photo identification card (driver's license) to gain access and those ages 17 and under must be accompanied by an adult.
 
COVID-19 Policy
Masks must be worn by everyone indoors regardless of COVID-19 vaccination status. Once on the USNA grounds, those who have not been vaccinated must wear a mask at all times and those who have been vaccinated have the option to wear a mask while outdoors but must wear a mask while indoors.
 
Scouting the Midshipmen
The Midshipmen began competition for the 2021 season, going 4-3 at the Navy Open and Princeton Invitational. The Mids have posted victories against Salem, Brown and Iona (2x), while Navy's only losses have come against top-10 opponents (No. 3 Cal, No. 9 UC Davis, and No. 3 Stanford).
 
Offensively, 23 different players have register points on the season, including 21 who scored at least one goal. The Mids were led by Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.), Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.), and Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.). Salinas leads all Midshipmen with 19 total points, including a team-best 13 goals. Altmayer leads the team with nine assists and has chipped in five goals for 14 total points. Pang has been balanced in the first two weekends of competition tallying 10 points on six goals and four helpers.
 
Defensively, Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) have seen a majority of the action. Capobianco, who was named MAWPC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 14, leads the team with 44 saves in five games played. In addition, the sophomore has a team-high 10 steals to his credit. Sandberg has played in four games with 27 stops and three steals.
 
Scouting the Opposition
Air Force enters the game with an 8-1 overall record. The Falcons opened the season 6-0 with wins against Claremont-Mudd-Scripps, McKendree, Cal Lutheran, Redlands, Chapman, and Ottawa Arizona. Air Force dropped game to Long Beach State before posting a pair of victories over Fresno Pacific.
 
The Falcons are led by Grant Snyder and Sam Fuller who have 37 and 35 points, respectively. Snyder leads the team with 30 goals in nine games, while Fuller has 27 scores in nine contests. Ryan McLaughlin and Ian Christie lead Air Force with 18 and 16 assists. At goal, Anthony Tolbert and A.J. Kuypers have each played in four games. Tolbert holds a slight 35 to 33 advantage in saves over Kuypers, while surrendering 33 goals compared to 41.
 
The Air Force-Navy Vase
In 2009, Bruce Hopping with the Kalos Kagathos Foundation in Laguna Beach, Calif. created an award – the Vase – which he made in the hopes that Air Force and Navy would play an annual game and the winner would receive. Hopping founded Kalos Kagathos with the goal "to put athletic fitness on a pedestal by creating sport-inspired statues and statuettes, much like the Greeks, 'whose sculptures are a testament to the beauty of the human form and the grace of competition.'" Hopping's goal was to have the two teams play each Fall and have the Vase on the line to represent "physical distinction, nobility of mind," which he believed blended well into the values of each Academy.
 
National Rankings
The Navy water polo team moved back into the National Top-20 poll, re-entering the rankings at No. 20, as announced on Wednesday afternoon by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA). The Midshipmen opened the season ranked No. 19 in the preseason poll. After receiving votes for the past two weeks, Navy enters the week ranked No. 20. The Midshipmen play Air Force and Wagner, as well as, Princeton and Fordham who rose in the rankings to No. 9 and No. 16, respectively.
 
Last Time: vs. Air Force (Oct. 4, 2019)
Navy and Air Force battled back-and-forth exchanging goals. After one quarter of play, the Midshipmen held a slight 4-3 advantage over the Falcons. Cole Jacobs ('21), Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.), and Bobby Lee ('21) combined for the four goals. In the second quarter, the Mids extended the advantage to five, 8-3. However, the Falcons closed out the second quarter and began the third quarter with four straight goals to close the gap to 8-7. Salinas closed the third quarter with a goal to give Navy a 9-7 edge. In the fourth quarter, the two teams exchanged goals, knotting the score at 12-12. With just under a minute to play, Salinas found the back of the net to give Navy a one-goal win over its rival.
 
Last Time Out: vs. Iona (Sept. 12, 2021)
The Navy water polo team posted a 12-7 victory over Iona to close out play at the 2021 Princeton Invitational at DuNuzio Pool in Princeton, N.J.
 
Offensively, eight different Midshipmen found the back of the net, including a trio of Mids who notched multiple goals. Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) paced the offense with three goals for his second hat trick of the weekend. Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.) and Chris Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.) added a pair of scores apiece. Salinas and Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.) paced the squad with a pair of assists each.
 
Defensively, Navy used a pair of goalies. The duo finished with 17 saves and seven goals allowed. Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) started the game, earning the win for the Mids. The senior finished with five saves, while surrendering three scores. Sandberg also led the team with two steals in the game. In the second half, Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) took over between the pipes, finishing with 12 stops and giving up four goals.