ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The #17 Navy water polo team (7-5) concluded play on the second day of the Navy Open with a pair of wins at Lejeune Hall in Annapolis. The Midshipmen dropped an 18-8 decision to #10 Princeton (8-0), but proceeded to post a 21-5 win over Wheaton College (0-2) and a 25-9 victory over MIT (2-4) to close out the day. In the two wins, the Mids' offense combined for 46 goals, while the defense held both opponents to single digits.
 
"All in all, today was a good day for us," head coach Luis Nicolao said. "We pride ourselves on our defense, but we did not play very good defensively against Princeton. They are a good team and can take advantage if you make a mistake, which we did too much of. I thought we responded well though. Against Wheaton we were able to get a lot of the younger guys some time in the pool. A lot of the freshmen did some good things in that game. Against MIT, I thought our offense came out strong and really set the tone. The defense was able to get some takeaways and hold them to single digits. We had a great crowd today and we are looking forward to closing out the tournament tomorrow in front of a lot of Navy fans."
 
Nineteen different Midshipmen scored goals on the day with eight Mids notching multiple scores. Jack Reif led the way with nine goals on the day, finishing with a pair of hat tricks. Kiefer Black added eight goals on the day, including seven scores in the win against MIT. Tyler Ter Keurst tallied eight points on seven goals and an assist against Wheaton College. Aiden Berry and Connor Cashman both chipped in five scores with Aiden Day, Quinn Bartlett, and Ramsay Letteau Stallings adding three goals apiece. Orion Erwin, Maddox Garrahy, Luka Sekulic, James Mulvey, Luke Kirincich, Jackson Snapp, Charlie Child, Rory Begin, Jack Mason, Ryan Mondzelewski, and Jackson Sales rounded out the scoring on the day. For Sales, the goal was the first of his collegiate career. Day, Mondzelewski, and Sales led the team with four assists apiece.
 
Navy used four goalies on the day. Jack Hightower led the team with eight saves in two games, while Ryan Munch registered seven stops against Princeton. Jack Rodoni notched four saves against MIT and Francis Hendrickson saw action against Wheaton College. The Midshipmen defense finished the day with 39 steals, including 21 takeaways against the Engineers.
 
On Sunday, the Midshipmen play a pair of games, starting at 8:00 a.m. against Salem (6-5) before closing out the weekend of play against Penn State Behrend (2-3) at 9:20 a.m.
 
Game 1 Recap: #10 Princeton 18, #17 Navy 8
In a battle of nationally-ranked foes, #10 Princeton got the better of #17 Navy, claiming an 18-8 decision.
 
The Tigers were the first to score, converting a five-meter opportunity. Day evened the score, 1-1, but Princeton used a 4-0 run to close out the first quarter and take a 5-1 lead. In the second quarter, the visitors once again scored first with Black countering with a goal for the Midshipmen. The Tigers closed out the half with a 3-0 run to go in front 9-2 at halftime.
 
In the second half, Princeton was the first to score. Navy used a goal by Bartlett to try to close the gap, but three straight by the Tigers extended the advantage to 13-3. Garrahy ended the quarter with a goal to trim the margin. The Midshipmen used goals by Berry and Day to open up the final quarter of regulation, but the Tigers responded with four straight scores. Reif ended the run, but Princeton scored to make the score 18-7. Bartlett scored what proved to be the final goal of the game to provide the final margin of 18-8.
 
Game 2 Recap: #17 Navy 21, Wheaton College 5
The Midshipmen rebounded in their second game of the day, posting a 21-5 victory over Wheaton College. Ter Keurst led the team with seven goals in the contest in his top performance in a Navy uniform.
 
The Mids wasted little time, scoring early and often in the first quarter. Child opened the game with a goal with Cashman pushing the advantage to 2-0. Reif found the back of the net on three consecutive possessions for his first collegiate hat trick, extending the lead to 5-0. Snapp snuck one by the goalkeeper to put Navy in front by six, but the Lyons were able to briefly end the Mids' scoring run with a goal. Letteau Stallings countered the visitor's goal to regain a six-goal advantage. Ter Keurst scored his first goal of the game with Mondzelewski following. Following a Wheaton goal, Ter Keurst notched his second tally of the game to end the first quarter.
 
In the second frame, Kirincich and Cashman registered goals, while the Lyons managed to convert a five-meter opportunity.
 
The second half opened with consecutive goals by Cashman to give the junior his third hat trick of the season. Ter Keurst registered his first collegiate hat trick with two goals in the third to put Navy up 16-3.
 
Ter Keurst started the fourth quarter with back-to-back goals. Letteau Stallings countered a Wheaton goal with his second goal of the game. Sales converted a penalty shot for his first collegiate goal, pushing the Navy lead to 20-4. Following a Lyons goal, Ter Keurst recorded his seventh goal of the game to provide the final margin of 21-5.
 
Game 3 Recap: #17 Navy 25, MIT 9
In the final game of the day, the Midshipmen jumped out to a quick lead and applied pressure en route to a 25-9 victory.
 
Navy started the game with a 3-0 run. Day continued his stellar play with a goal to start the game. Black followed with his first goal of the game. Berry pushed the advantage to 3-0 with a score. MIT battled back with consecutive scores, but Navy countered with a 4-0 run to close out the first quarter. Black powered a goal past the keeper and Bartlett followed with a strike to the back of the cage. Berry completed his first-quarter hat trick with back-to-back goals to end the first period.
 
Similar to the first quarter, the Midshipmen began the second with three straight scores. Mulvey, Black, and Letteau Stallings each notched goals during the run. The Engineers ended the run with a goal, but Reif countered with his first strike of the night. MIT registered another goal, but Reif posted back-to-back scores to complete his second-quarter hat trick and put Navy in front 13-4. The Engineers scored just before the half, but Black found the back of the net as time expired to send the game into intermission with the Mids in front, 14-5.
 
The Mids extended their lead to 22-7 in the third quarter. Black posted a pair of goals around a MIT score. Berry added to his tally. Following an Engineer's goal, the Midshipmen closed the period on a 5-0 run. Black opened the run with Erwin, Sekulic, Bartlett, and Reif each scoring goals.
 
The final quarter of play saw the Mids outscore the Engineers 3-2. Reif and Mason opened the quarter with goals. MIT scored, but Begin answered with a goal. The Engineers scored a goal, providing the final margin, 25-9.