Box Score BALTIMORE, Md. – The Navy water polo team (13-14, 8-8) posted a 21-11 victory over Johns Hopkins (10-22, 2-14) in a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference game on Sunday evening at the Newton White Athletic Center – Natatorium to close out the regular season.
 
"Today was a great day to end the regular season," head coach Luis Nicolao said. "We were able to click offensively and defensively. In addition, we were able to get everyone into the game. It was really a good win heading into the conference tournament."
 
Offensively, the Midshipmen registered a season-high 21 goals in the game. The 21 goals were the most scored by the Mids since a 21-13 victory over La Salle in 2019 and tied for the most goal scored under Nicolao. Thirteen Midshipmen found the back of the net in the game with six athletes notching multiple scores.
 
Michael Heller (Menlo Park, Calif.) and Erik Nordquist (San Diego, Calif.) paced the offensive attack with three goals apiece. It was the seventh hat trick of the season for Heller, while the three goals marked the first career hat trick for Nordquist. Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.), Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.), Tommy McKnew (Tiburon, Calif.), and Holden Seybold (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) finished with two goals each, while Rory Begin (Bakersfield, Calif.), Travis Berzins (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.), Nathan Duchez (San Jose, Calif.), Chris Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.), Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.), Danny Taylor (Riverside, Conn.), and Kyle Yelensky (Stamford, Conn.) rounded out the scoring.
 
Pang, Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.), Jack Hightower (San Diego, Calif.), and Henry Williams (San Diego, Calif.) led the way with two assists apiece, while Altmayer, Begin, Heller, Taylor, Tiernan Brunner (Timonium, Md.), Graham Lindner (Bel Air, Md.), Sean O'Boyle (Steilacoom, Wash.), Shaan Sandhoo (Laurel, Md.), and Connor Simpson (San Rafael, Calif.) added helpers.
 
Defensively, Navy used four goalies in the game. Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) led the way with seven saves, while Hightower recorded six stops during his time between the posts. Sandhoo notched four saves with Owen Gurich (Long Beach, Calif.) also blocking a shot. Jamie Cassidy (Greenwich, Conn.) and John Nelligan (Wayne, Pa.) led the way with two steals apiece, while Kahn paced the team with three ejections drawn.
 
The Midshipmen opened the game firing on all cylinders. The Mids tallied seven goals in the first quarter. Heller opened up the scoring, putting the road team in front 1-0. Johns Hopkins tied the game, but Navy regained the lead on a Kim goal. Back-to-back goals by the Blue Jays gave the home team the lead, but the Midshipmen countered with four straight goals by Seybold, McKnew, Pang, and Duchez. Following a Hopkins goal, Heller closed out the first quarter with his second score of the game.
 
In the second quarter, the Mids outscored the Blue Jays, 5-1, rattling off the first five goals of the period. Altmayer started the scoring with freshmen Begin and Seybold following with goals. Kahn and Yelensky rounded out the scoring for Navy in the second quarter, while Johns Hopkins closed out the period with one goal.
 
The two teams played even in the third quarter, both netting four goals. Altmayer, Berzins, Kahn, and Heller found the back of the net for the Midshipmen in the third quarter. Navy closed out the game with five more goals. Nordquist netted all three of his goals in the fourth quarter, while McKnew and Taylor each added scores.
 
Navy returns to action in two weeks as the Midshipmen head to the Bronx, N.Y. for the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Tournament. The Mids, who earned the No. 6 seed in the tournament, will open tournament play against No. 11 Mercyhurst at 1:40 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 18. The game will be live streamed ($) on Stretch Live.