ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The No. 20 Navy water polo team (4-3) heads west for four games to close out the week. The Midshipmen open the road trip with Air Force on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. (ET) in Colorado Springs, Colo. The team continue the road swing with three games – No. 3 USC (Saturday, 4:00 p.m. ET); Occidental (Saturday, 6:30 p.m. ET); and No. 10 San Jose State (Sunday, 12:15 p.m. ET) – at the Aggie Roundup hosted by UC Davis in Davis, Calif.
Media Coverage
All four games will be streamed on YouTube and live stats will be available through Fosh.net.
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).
The Freedom 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.
Navy and Air Force will meet for the 34th time in series history. The Midshipmen hold a 23-10 advantage in the all-time series, including winning two of the last three 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 Falcons won last year's contest, 11-7.
The two teams play each other regularly, but, generally, Air Force and Navy square off against one another at a neutral site. Prior to the 2021 season, the two programs agreed to make the games a home-and-home series alternating each year who hosts.
Last season in Annapolis, was the first time since 2009 that the two teams met at a home site. Thursday's game in Colorado Springs will mark the first time since 2006 that the two teams have met at Air Force.
Water Polo Remains Ranked in CWPA Top 20
The Navy water polo team remained ranked No. 20 in the National Top-20 poll, as announced on Wednesday by the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA). This is the second consecutive week that the Midshipmen have been ranked during the 2022 season, after receiving votes in the preseason poll.
Three of Navy's four opponents this week are ranked or receiving votes in the latest CWPA Poll – No. 3 USC, No. 10 San Jose State, and RV Air Force.
Scouting the Midshipmen
The Mids enter the weekend with a 4-3 overall record on the season. The Midshipmen defeated Santa Clara (W, 9-8) in overtime before posting a victory over Iona (W, 13-11) on Day 1 of the Princeton Invitational. The Mids were edged by No. 18 St. Francis Brooklyn (L, 11-9) to conclude the tournament.
Offensively, the Midshipmen have tallied 72 goals with 18 different student-athletes finding the back of the net. Navy is led by
Michael Heller (Menlo Park, Calif.) and
Tommy McKnew (Tiburon, Calif.), who have netted 14 and 10 goals, respectively. Team captains
Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and
Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.) are next on the list with nine and seven goals.
Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.) paces the team with eight assists, while
Connor Simpson (San Rafael, Calif.) is second on the squad with five helpers.
Defensively, goalkeeper
Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) has seen a majority of time between the posts. The junior has appeared in all seven games, notching 63 saves and a 49.2 save percentage. In addition, Capobianco leads the team with 19 steals.
Scouting the Opposition
Air Force (7-3) – Air Force went 3-1 at the Inland Empire Classic last weekend. The Falcons went 2-0 on Saturday in Redlands, defeating Occidental (W, 14-13) and Redlands (W, 10-9). On Sunday, the Falcons split their games in Claremont, downing Pomona-Pitzer (W, 15-10) and fell to Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (L, 11-10). Grant Snyder led the Falcons with 16 goals on the weekend. Goalkeeper AJ Kuypers recorded 51 saves and a .543 saves percentage. Kuypers had a season-high 18 saves against Occidental.
#3 USC (6-1) – USC enters the week ranked in the top five, boasting a 6-1 overall record. The Trojans opened play for the 2022 season, going 3-1 at the Triton Invitational in San Diego, defeating Concordia (W, 24-0), No. 12 UC Irvine (W, 10-4), and No. 10 Pepperdine (W, 12-8) before dropping a game to No. 3 UCLA (L, 8-6). USC rebounded with wins against No. 7 Long Beach State (W, 14-10 in overtime), Golden West (W, 13-9), Claremont-Mudd-Scripps (W, 21-12), and Pomona-Pitzer (W, 19-8). The Trojans will play No. 5 Pacific on Friday before taking on UC Davis and Navy on Saturday.
Occidental (1-4) – Occidental enters the week with a 1-4 overall record. The Tigers opened the season with a 20-13 loss to No. 15 Loyola Marymount. The following week, Occidental competed in the Inland Empire Classic, going 1-3 in the tournament. The Tigers fell to Air Force (L, 14-13), No. 16 California Baptist (L, 16-8), and Concordia (L, 12-6), while defeating Fresno Pacific (W, 17-9). The meeting between Occidental and Navy will be the second all-time between the two programs. The Mids are 1-0 against the Tigers, posting a 22-4 victory in 2014.
#10 San Jose State (1-2) – San Jose State enters the weekend ranked in the top 10 with a 1-2 overall record. The Spartans opened the season with a victory against Santa Clara (W, 10-8) in the South Bay Invitational, but then dropped contests against No. 8 UC Santa Barbara (L, 10-9) and No. 6 UC Davis (L, 13-8). The Spartans will take on No. 2 UCLA, No. 16 California Baptist, and No. 5 Pacific before matching up with Navy.
