ERIE, Pa. – The Navy water polo team (14-7, 6-1) notched a pair of victories on Saturday at the Hallman Aquatic Center in Erie, Pa. The Midshipmen opened the day with a 19-4 victory over Mercyhurst (0-13, 0-9) in a Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference game. The Midshipmen returned to the pool to post an 18-12 win over Gannon (9-8) in the second game of the doubleheader.
Fifteen (15) different Midshipmen found the back of the net on the day with 12 notching multiple goals on the day.
Kiefer Black, who needed just three points to pass head coach
Luis Nicolao ('92) for the Navy career points record, finished the day with eight points on a pair of goals and six assists.
Austin Kahn followed with seven points on three goals and four assist.
Ryan Mondzelewski (5g),
Matt Mai-Prasarnsuk (3g 2a) and
Connor Cashman (5a) added five points apiece with
Maddox Garrahy (4g),
Jack Reif (4g),
Luke Kirincich (3g 1a),
Quinn Bartlett (2g 2a),
Aiden Day (2g 2a), and
Ramsay Letteau Stallings (2g 2a) following with four points each.
Orion Erwin and
Holden Seybold added two goals and an assist apiece for three points each, while
Aiden Berry had one score and two helpers for his three points.
Jack Hightower scored his second career goal, while adding an assist for two points while
Jack Mason (1g 1a),
Rory Begin (2a), and
James Mulvey (2a) also notched two points each.
Jackson Snapp closed out the point scorers with one point on an assist.
The Midshipmen used three goalies on the day.
Jack Rodoni finished with a team-high 15 saves, working a complete game against Gannon. Hightower worked the first three quarters against Mercyhurst, notching 10 stops and adding a team-high eight takeaways.
Ryan Munch came in against Mercyhurst in the fourth quarter, holding the Lakers scoreless and finishing with two saves.
Navy continues play in Erie on Sunday with a MAWPC game against Bucknell (7-10, 4-4). The game is slated for 10:00 a.m. at the Hallman Aquatic Center.
Game 1 Recap: Navy 19, Mercyhurst 4
Navy opened the day with a 19-4 conference win over Mercyhurst.
Letteau Stallings started the scoring with a goal, but the Lakers countered with a goal to knot the game at 1-1. The Midshipmen regained the advantage thanks to a pair of scores by Garrahy. Following a Mercyhurst goal, Mondzelewski closed out the first quarter with his first goal of the game to put Navy in front, 4-2.
In the second quarter, Mai-Prasarnsuk opened the scoring with back-to-back goals. Reif, Mason, and Mondzelewski followed before Kirincich found the back of the net twice to cap a 7-0 second-quarter run. The Lakers scored just before the half to go into intermission with the Mids in front 11-3.
Letteau Stallings once again started the scoring in the half with a goal. Mercyhurst slipped a goal past the keeper to make the score, 12-4. From there it was all Midshipmen as Navy closed out the game on a 7-0 run to claim the 19-4 victory. Mondzelewski scored three times during the run with Kahn adding a pair of scores. Kirincich scored to complete his hat trick and Hightower left his goalie position to score a goal as a position player, notching his first goal of the season and the second of his four-year career.
Game 2 Recap: Navy vs. Gannon
Navy improved to 2-0 on the day with an 18-12 victory over Gannon. The Mids started the game with a 5-0 run and were able to match the Golden Knights the remainder of the game to secure the six-goal victory.
The Midshipmen jumped out to a 5-0 lead early in the first quarter. Erwin started the scoring with Bartlett and Seybold following with goals. Day converted a five-meter attempt to put Navy up four, and Garrahy slammed a ball into the back of the net to go up 5-0. Gannon countered with three straight scores, but Seybold ended the run with his second goal of the period to put the Mids up 6-3 through one quarter.
In the second quarter, Reif opened the period with his first goal of the game. Day followed with another five-meter goal. The Golden Knights countered with back-to-back goals, but Garrahy stopped the mini run with a score. A Gannon goal trimmed the margin to 9-6, but Navy used a 3-1 run to close out the half and take a 12-7 lead into halftime. Reif scored a pair of goals in the run with Kahn adding his first tally of the game.
Berry pushed the lead to six to start the third period. However, the Golden Knights responded with consecutive scores to trim the margin to four, 13-9. Erwin and Mai-Prasarnsuk extended the advantage back to six, 15-9, but Gannon closed out the quarter with a pair of goals to cut the margin to four.
In the fourth quarter, Black notched back-to-back goals to extend the Navy lead to 17-11. Gannon scored a goal to cut the margin to five, but Bartlett responded with a goal to provide the final margin, 18-12.
