ANNAPOLIS, Md. – The #17 Navy water polo team (8-6) split a pair of games on Sunday morning on the final day of competition at the Navy Open at Lejeune Hall in Annapolis. The Midshipmen dropped the first game of the day to Salem (8-5) by a score of 17-13, but rebounded with an 18-8 victory over Penn State Behrend (2-4) to close out the tournament.
"Today was disappointing," head coach
Luis Nicolao said. "I thought we would come away with two wins today, but tip your hat to Salem. They are an NCAA Tournament team; they won their conference last year; and they are well coached. We just didn't do enough to get the job done. I was proud of how the team rebounded against Penn State [Behrend]. We were able to get a lot of guys in the pool and a lot of different people contributed to the win.
"As a whole, it was a good weekend," Nicolao added. "It is always an amazing atmosphere in Lejeune in front of our fans. I hope that we will have a packed house this Thursday when we take on Air Force for the Freedom Vase."
Fifteen different Midshipmen found the back of the net on the day, including eight that notched multiple goals.
Kiefer Black paced the team with eight points on a team-high five goals and team-best three assists.
Matt Mai-Prasarnsuk matched Black with three assists, while adding three goals for six points on the day.
Rory Begin,
Connor Cashman,
Ramsay Letteau Stallings, and
James Mulvey notched three goals apiece with
Luke Kirincich and
Billy Zech following with two each.
Quinn Bartlett,
Aiden Berry,
Orion Erwin,
Maddox Garrahy,
Austin Kahn,
Ryan Mondzelewski, and
Jackson Snapp rounded out the goal scorers for Navy.
The Mids used four goalies in the two games –
Jack Hightower,
Jack Rodoni,
Ryan Munch, and
Francis Hendrickson. Hightower led the team with five saves, while Rodoni added four stops and Munch chipped in three saves.
Up next, the Midshipmen continue their homestand as Navy takes on Air Force for the Freedom Vase on Thursday, Sept. 18 at 7:00 p.m. in Lejeune Hall. The game will be live streamed on YouTube.
Game 1 Recap: Salem 17, #17 Navy 13
Navy was unable to overcome a pair of 5-0 runs by Salem, dropping a 17-13 decision to the Tigers.
Navy was the first team to score as Mulvey ripped a shot from the right side. Salem countered with a 5-0 run, including converting a pair of five-meter attempts. Mulvey and Berry ended the run with consecutive scores, but a third penalty shot for the Tigers gave the visitors a 6-3 lead.
The Midshipmen closed the gap to one to start the second quarter. Zech and Black notched back-to-back scores to pull to within one, 6-5, but the Tigers countered with consecutive goals to retake a three-goal advantage.
In the second half, the Mids used a Black goal to cut the margin to two. Salem pushed the lead back to three, but Bartlett countered with a score to trim the margin to 9-7. The Tigers used a 5-0 run, spurred by back-to-back five-meter goals to extend their advantage to 14-7. Erwin ended the run with a goal to send the game into the fourth quarter with the Mids trailing, 14-8.
Salem extended its lead with a goal to start the fourth quarter. Zech countered, but the Tigers extended the lead back to seven. Black converted a penalty shot of his own to start a 3-0 run by the Midshipmen.
In the fourth quarter, the Tigers started the scoring. Zech countered with a goal, but Salem responded with a goal of its own. Black converted a five-meter attempt, sparking a 3-0 run by the Midshipmen. Mulvey and Black added goals in the run, but the Tigers scored to extend the lead to five. Black cut the margin to four, but Navy ran out of time, dropping the four-goal decision.
Game 2 Recap: #17 Navy 18, Penn State Behrend 8
The Midshipmen rebounded in the second game of the day, posting an 18-8 win over Penn State Behrend.
Navy jumped out to a quick lead in the first quarter. Mai-Prasarnsuk was the first Mid to scratch the scoreboard. Kahn followed with a goal and Begin registered a pair of scores to give the Midshipmen a 4-0 advantage through one quarter of play.
Cashman and Letteau Stallings extended the advantage to 6-0 with goals. The Lions converted their first of two five-meter opportunities in the quarter to chip into the Mids' advantage. Mai-Prasarnsuk and Kirincich buried goals in the back of the net to up the advantage to 8-1. Behrend scored a pair of goals, including a penalty shot to cut the margin to 8-3 at the half.
In the second half, Navy used a 4-0 run to increase its lead to 12-3. Letteau Stallings had a pair of scores in the run with Begin and Garrahy also finding the back of the net. Penn State Behrend scored four of the final five goals of the period with Cashman scoring for Navy.
The fourth quarter saw the Midshipmen close out the game strong, scoring five of the six goals in the period. Kirincich, Mai-Prasarnsuk, Cashman, and Mondzelewski scored to start the quarter. Following a Lions' goal, Snapp scored to provide the final margin, 18-8.
