ERIE, Pa. – The #15 Navy water polo team (11-2, 2-0 MAWPC) took an early lead and never looked back, cruising to a 20-4 victory over Mercyhurst (2-14, 0-5) at the Hallman Aquatic Center in Erie, Pa. Tied 1-1, the Midshipmen used a 12-0 run to take firm control of the game.
"Today was a good day for us," head coach
Luis Nicolao said after the game. "First and foremost, we got a conference win. We also were able to get a lot of guys into the pool; a lot of the younger guys. And they came through for us today. We had a lot of people score goals and a lot of people that contributed to the win. We have another important game tomorrow against Bucknell."
Eleven different Navy players found the back of the net in the game with six notching multiple scores including three hat tricks.
Aiden Berry,
Declan Murphy, and
Hudson Parks recorded hat tricks on the day with
JB Bergstedt,
Connor Cashman, and
Austin Kahn scoring twice each.
Maximus Arnold,
Ryan Munch,
Jack Pointner, and
Jack Rodoni also scored in the game.
Oren Penning earned the win at goal. The freshman recorded seven stops, while allowing four goals with three steals. The four goals allowed by the Navy defense was a season low.
Berry started the scoring, but Mercyhurst was able to tie the game at 1-1 with a five-meter goal. From there, Navy used a 12-0 run through the first half to take control of the game and never look back.
Cashman, Arnold, Murphy, and Berry closed out the first quarter with goals to start the run. In the second quarter, Kahn (2x), Murphy (2x), Parks (2x), Bergstedt, and Pointer extended the advantage to 13-1 at the half.
Mercyhurst opened the second half with a goal, but Navy countered with scores by Erwin, Cashman, Bergstedt, and Parks. The Lakers added a goal to start the fourth quarter, but Berry completed his hat trick with a five-meter goal. Following a Mercyhurst goal, Navy ended the game with goals by Rodoni and Munch to provide the final margin of 20-4.
Navy concludes the weekend on Sunday, Oct. 4 at Kinney Natatorium in Lewisburg, Pa. against Bucknell at 12:00 p.m. The games will be live streamed on the Bison's YouTube channel.
