ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The United States Naval Academy water polo team improved to 3-2 on the young season with a 20-10 victory over Austin College in Scott Natatorium. Junior Jesse Hainze (Bellevue, Wash.) finished with a career-high four goals, while senior Brandon Shields (Lake Forest, Calif.) worked a complete game at goal, notching a career-best 10 saves.
“Today was a good day,” head coach Luis Nicolao said after the game. “We don’t typically play on a Monday so we had to deal with some issues with class schedules, but that allowed us to play some of the guys on the team who have been working hard and might not have seen as much playing time as they would want. Everyone stepped up today and posted a solid team win.”
Offensively, Hainze paced the team with four goals, while four other players – Trevor Clark (San Marcos, Calif.), William Lowdon (Hillsborough, Calif.), Kenny McKinlay (Aiea, Hawaii) and Nate Reiff (Wheeling, Ill.) – each finished with two goals apiece. Nick Grinnell (Pikesville, Md.) paced the team with three assists, while Payton Comstock (Clarendon Hills, Ill.), McKinlay, Reiff and Bobby Wall (San Mateo, Calif.) added two helpers each.
Defensively, Shields surrendered 10 goals in 32 minutes of action. The senior tied a career-best with 10 saves on the day. In addition, he registered a team-high two steals and chipped in an assist. Grinnell tied Shields with a team-high two steals on the afternoon.
In the first quarter, Navy jumped out to a 5-3 lead over Austin College thanks to three goals by Hainze, giving the junior his first collegiate hat trick. The Mids pushed their lead to three goals in the second quarter, taking a 9-6 lead into halftime. Four different Midshipmen were credited with goals in the second quarter.
Despite never trailing, Navy took control of the game in the third quarter. The Midshipmen used seven goals by seven different players to win the quarter, 7-1, and take a commanding 16-7 lead into the final quarter of play. In the fourth quarter, the Mids extended the advantage to double-digits, earning a 20-10 victory.
Release courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
