Bronx, New York- The Navy Water Polo Team (14-15) opened competition in the 2022 Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference Tournament, sharing two games at the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center in the Bronx, NY. The sixth-ranked Midshipmen started the day with a 21-9 win over 11-seeded Mercyhurst (3-21) before dropping an 8-6 decision over No. 3 seed Bucknell (15-14) in the nightcap.
The Navy returns to action on Saturday afternoon when the Midshipmen take on 10th-seeded Johns Hopkins (11-23) at 3:40 p.m
“Today was disappointing,” said the head coach Luis Nicolao said. “We played well, but we didn’t get the two wins we had hoped for. We started really well against Mercyhurst. We were able to bring everyone into the game and received input from a number of people. In game two , we played well enough to win defensively, but we just couldn’t score enough goals to beat Bucknell. The good thing is that we have two games left this weekend, so we’re starting the season with a few Being able to end victories on a high. “
Offensively, the Midshipmen had 27 goals with 24 assists for 51 points that day. Michael Heller (Menlo Park, Calif.) led the team with five points with four goals and one assist. Eric Nordquist (San Diego, California) connected Heller with a team-high four goals for four points. Additionally, Will Clark (Laguna Beach, California) Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, California) and Ivan Pang (El Monte, California) each scored four points. Clark finished the game with two goals and two assists, while Altmayer and Pang, each with three assists, scored. Tiernan Brunner (Timonium, Md.) scored three goals begin Rory (Bakersfield, California) accumulated his three points with one goal and two assists. Travis Berzin (Rancho Cucamonga, California) Tommy McKnew (Tiburon, California) and Connor Simpson (San Rafael, California) scored two goals each Jacques Dutton (Yorba Linda, California) Kyle Faison (Goleta, California) Liam McInerney (Annapolis, Maryland) and Holden Seybold (Aliso Viejo, California) scored while adding an assist Cole McKechnie (Laguna Beach, Calif.) finished with two points to two assists. Graham Lindner (Bel Air, Md.) scored a goal Jamie Cassidy (Greenwich, Conn.), Nathan Duchez (San Jose, California) Owen Gurich (Long Beach, California) Jack Hightower (San Diego, California) Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, California) DannyTaylor (Riverside, Connecticut) and Henry Williams (San Diego, California) each added templates.
The Mids fielded four goaltenders that day. Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, California) did most of the work that day while Hightower, Gurich and Shaan Sandhu (Laurel, Md.) watched all time during the Navy’s opening round game against Mercyhurst. Capobianco ended the day with nine saves and five steals. The junior started the day with a save against the Lakers before hitting eight stops and five takeaways against the Bison. Hightower and Gurich each added two saves and an assist.
Game 1 summary: (6) Navy 21, (11) Mercyhurst 9
The sixth-seeded Navy achieved a crucial win in their opening game of the MAWPC tournament with a 21-9 win over No. 11 Mercyhurst. The Midshipmen took a 4-0 lead and looked en route to the 12-goal never win back
The Midshipmen opened the game and scored four of their first five possessions, with Heller leading the offensive attack. The second division side scored the game’s first two goals and added an assist to Berzins’ goal to give Navy a 3-0 lead. Heller completed his hat trick in the first quarter to give the Mids a 4-0 lead. After a goal from Mercyhurst, Seybold and Clark each hit the back of the net to end the first third with Navy leading 6-1.
The second quarter began with back-to-back goals from Lindner and Begin, who extended the lead to 8-1. The Lakers were able to slide a ball past the goalie, but Pang responded with a goal to regain the seven-goal lead. The visiting guests took a five-yard chance to take a 9-3 lead, but the Midshipmen ended the half with a 4-0 run with two goals each from Simpson and Nordquist.
Navy extended their three-goal lead to 16-3 to start the third quarter. Brunner rushed for his first of three goals in the game. Faison scored his first collegiate goal, converting a five-yard opportunity while McInerney also scored from a five-yard. Mercyhurst found the back of the net but Brunner and Nordquist responded with back-to-back points to extend the lead to 14. The Lakers were able to get a final score in time to send the game 18-5 into the fourth quarter.
Mercyhurst started the fourth quarter with a goal, but Dutton and Brunner countered with back-to-back points. The Lakers scored three of the last four goals to give the final 21-9 lead, with Nordquist scoring his fourth goal of the game for the final Midshipmen point.
With the win in the opening round, Navy advanced to the second round to face No. 3 seed Bucknell in the nightcap.
Game 2 recap: (3) Bucknell 8, (6) Navy 6
In the second game of the day, the Mids fought a defensive battle with the Bison. The 8-6 game was the 15th game this season for Navy to be decided by two goals or fewer.
Bucknell started the game with two goals, but Clark halved the deficit with one goal. The Bison converted a five-yard attempt to regain a two-goal lead. In the second quarter, Altmayer started with the aim of reducing the lead to one. Back-to-back goals from Bucknell drew Navy to within one with goals from McKnew and Heller.
In the second half, the Midshipmen made the point for the first time as Berzins opened the third quarter with a goal. The Bison retook the lead by a goal, but McKnew found the equalizer with two and a half minutes to go. Bucknell took a 7-6 lead in the quarterfinals with a minute to go. Solid defense from both teams limited the fourth quarter to just one goal scored by either team, with the higher-seeded Bison earning the 8-6 win.
tournament schedule
Friday 18 Nov
Game 1: 11:00 a.m. – (8) McKendree 16, (9) Gannon 11
Game 2: 12:20 p.m. – (10) Johns Hopkins 18, (7) Mount St. Mary’s 17
Game 3: 1:40 p.m. – (6) Navy 21, (11) Mercyhurst 9
Game 4: 3:00 p.m. – (5) Salem 17, (4) Wagner 13
Game 5: 4:20 p.m. – (1) Fordham 15, (8) McKendree 6
Game 6: 5:40 p.m. – (2) George Washington 15, (10) Johns Hopkins 5
Game 7: 7:00 p.m. – (3) Bucknell 8, (6) Navy 6
Saturday 19 Nov
Game 8: 1pm – (7) Mount St Mary’s vs (11) Mercyhurst
Game 9: 2:20 p.m. – (4) Wagner vs. (8) McKendree
Game 10: 3:40 p.m. – (6) Navy vs. (10) Johns Hopkins
Game 11: 5:00 p.m. – (9) Gannon vs (11) Mercyhurst
Game 12: 6:30 p.m. – (1) Fordham vs. (5) Salem
Game 13: 8:00 p.m. – (3) Bucknell vs. (2) George Washington
Sunday 20 Nov
Game 14: 9:00 a.m. – (9) Gannon vs. (7) Mount St. Mary’s
Game 15: 10:30am – Loser Game 10 vs Loser Game 9 (7th place match)
Game 16: 12:00 – Game 9 Winner vs. Game 10 Winner (5th place match)
Game 17: 1:30pm – Loser Game 13 vs Loser Game 12 (3rd place match)
Game 18: 15:00 – Winner Game 12 vs. Winner Game 13 (Championship Match)