PITTSBURGH, Pa. — Crawford Smith (Jr., Mechanicsburg, Pa.) scored four times to lead the way for the Atlantic Division Champion/No. 19-ranked Midshipmen of the United States Naval Academy in a 13th/15th Place game win over Southeast Division Champion the University of Alabama in the final game on Day Two of the 2019 Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship at the University of Pittsburgh’s Trees Pool.
- Alabama jumped on the scoreboard first in the game as Eric Caselton (Sr., St. Louis, Mo.) delivered the opening salvo with 5:16 remaining in the opening seven-minutes of competition
- However, Navy – which recorded its inaugural appearance at the Men’s National Collegiate Club Championship – never trailed the rest of the way as the Mids built a 4-1 lead with 2:14 left in the opening quarter on the way to a 5-3 lead at the conclusion of the seven-minute frame.
- Leading 9-7 by halftime, Navy pull away from Alabama by burying five goals in the third quarter to the Crimson Tide’s solo tally to hold a 14-8 margin through 21 minutes of action.
- Alabama chipped the final margin down to five by the end of the contest as a 4-3 advantage in the scoring column over the game’s concluding seven minutes moved the Crimson tide to within five at 17-12.
- For Navy, Jake Hansen (Sr., Lemoore, Calif.) scored three times with Aidan Crouch (Jr., Moraga, Calif.), Andrew Pagano (Jr., Baltimore, Md.), Gregory Cameron (Jr., Modesto, Calif.) and Declan Harrison (Jr., Fallbrook, Calif.) each accounting for pairs of markers. Jacob Paiva (Jr., Roseville, Calif.) and Matthew Clark (Sr., Tacoma, Wash.) chipped in single scores.
- In cage, Roman Benitez (Sr., Lemoore, Calif.) made five saves to pick up the win. Alabama’s Alex Mick (Jr., St. Louis, Mo.) turned away a pair of shots in taking the loss.
- Alabama – which tied for 15th Place at the 2017 championship hosted by Florida State University and the 2018 tournament hosted by the University of Arizona – received five goals from Chris Popiolek (Jr., Naperville, Ill.) along with pairs by Drake McClure (Sr., Naperville, Ill.) and Joe Tomashek (Sr., Naperville, Ill.). Colin Szczesny (Fr., Naperville, Ill.), Noble McMaster (Fr., Madison, Ala.) and Caselton each put away solo strikes to account for the remainder of the Crimson TIde’s offense.
- Due to time constraints, the final four positions in the field are not played out with the winners and losers of the final two games on Day Two of the National Collegiate Club Championship tying for 13th and 15th.
- Due to the results, Navy ties with Oregon State University – which defeated host the University of Pittsburgh by an 18-6 count in the other 13th/15th Place game. Pittsburgh and Alabama tie for 15th place in the 16-team championship field.
| 1st Q | 2nd Q | 3rd Q | 4th Q | – | FINAL | |
| University of Alabama | 3 | 4 | 1 | 4 | – | 12 |
| No. 19 United States Naval Academy | 5 | 4 | 4 | 3 | – | 17 |
| Navy Goals: | Crawford Smith (4); Jake Hansen (3); Aidan Crouch (2); Andrew Pagano (2); Gregory Cameron (2); Declan Harrison (2); Jacob Paiva; Matthew Clark | |||||
| Alabama Goals: | Chris Popiolek (5); Drake McClure (2); Joe Tomashek (2); Colin Szczesny; Noble McMaster; Eric Caselton | |||||
| Saves: | Navy – Roman Benitez (5) ; Alabama – Alex Mick (2) | |||||
| Exclusions: | Navy – 5 ; Alabama – 14 | |||||
| Advantage Opportunities: | Navy – 6-for-14 ; Alabama – 4-for-5 | |||||
| Sprints: | Navy – 2-for-4 (3rd, 4th) ; Alabama – 2-for-4 (1st, 2nd) | |||||
| Cards/Misconducts: | None | |||||
| Officials: | Steve Sargalski; Greg Sanchez | |||||
The University of Alabama’s Drake McClure (#8) and the United States Naval Academy’s Crawford Smith (#7)
The University of Alabama’s Joe Tomashek (#9) attempts to prevent a pass by the United States Naval Academy’s Aidan Crouch (#24)
The United States Naval Academy’s Andrew Pagano (#4) defends the University of Alabama’s Nick Ward (#10)
