PRINCETON, N.J. – The Navy water polo team (7-1) closed out play at the Princeton Invitational on Sunday morning with a 17-13 victory over #18 Harvard (2-8) at DeNunzio Pool in Princeton, N.J. The win was the first of the season for the Midshipmen against a ranked opponent.
 
"I am proud of the guys," head coach Luis Nicolao said. "It was our first road trip of the season. We played some really good teams and we were able to come home with some wins. It wasn't perfect by any means, but the team showed a lot of heart and determination all weekend. We have some things to clean up, but I am happy with where we are at so far this season."
 
Eight different Midshipmen found the back of the net during the game, including five that notched multiple goals. Declan Bartlett led all scorers with a season-high five goals on the day. He was joined by Kiefer Black, who registered his first hat trick of the young season. Black finished with a team-high six points on three goals and three assists. Quinn Bartlett, Aiden Berry, and Luka Sekulic also notched multiple goals, with James Mulvey, Jack Pointner, and Billy Zech rounding out the scoring.
 
Aiden Day joined Black with a team-best three assists with Mulvey adding a pair of helpers. Connor Cashman, Luke Kirincich, Jack Reif, and Sekulic were also credited with assists in the game.
 
At goal, Ryan Munch worked a complete game between the posts. The junior finished the game with seven saves and three steals in a winning effort.
 
Navy was the first team to score as D. Bartlett buried his first goal of the game in the back of the net. Harvard tied the game, but the Midshipmen regained the lead thanks to Zech slamming the ball home. The Crimson once again knotted the game, but the Mids countered with back-to-back goals by Mulvey and Pointner. Harvard used a five-meter goal to cut the margin to one, but consecutive goals by the Bartlett brothers gave Navy a 6-3 advantage through one quarter of play.
 
In the second quarter, the Crimson started the scoring, cutting the Mids' lead to two. The Midshipmen countered with goals by Sekulic and D. Bartlett to push the margin to four, 8-4. Harvard closed the gap to three, but D. Bartlett and Sekulic once again scored back-to-back to extend the advantage to 10-5. The Crimson closed out the first half with a pair of goals, but the Midshipmen led 10-7 at intermission.
 
Q. Bartlett began the second half with a goal with Black following with his first goal of the game. Following a Harvard goal, Berry (2x) and Black combined for three straight goals to extend the advantage to 15-8. The Crimson ended the period with consecutive scores to send the game into the final quarter of play with the Mids in front 15-10.
 
In the fourth quarter, Harvard applied pressure, but Navy was able to hold on for the victory. The Crimson opened the quarter with back-to-back goals, giving them four straight scores going back to the third period. D. Bartlett ended the run with his fifth goal of the game. Harvard cut the margin to three, but Black buried a ball in the back of the net to complete his hat trick and provide the final margin, 17-13.
 
Following the Princeton Invitational, the Midshipmen head west. Navy takes on Air Force for the Freedom Vase on Thursday, Sept. 24 before continuing to California for the UC Irvine Invitational on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 26-27 to take on Santa Clara, LMU, and UC Irvine.