ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The No. 20-ranked United States Naval Academy water polo team improved to 3-0 on the season with a pair of victories on the second day of the Navy Open in Lejeune Hall. The Midshipmen opened the day with a 13-9 win versus Division III No. 5 Johns Hopkins before stopping Salem University, 23-11, in the nightcap.
Eighteen players scored at least one goal on the day, including eight players who netted multiple scores.
Quinn Bartlett paced the team with six goals on the day, while younger brother Declan Bartlett followed with five scores. Saul Biddle, Kiefer Black and Declan Murphy tallied three goals each, while Maximus Arnold, Jack Pointner and Billy Zech notched two goals apiece. JB Bergstedt, Aiden Berry, Connor Cashman, Aiden Day, Ramsay Letteau Stallings, Tanner Lustig, Colin McPhail, Ryan Mondzelewski, James Mulvey and Luka Sekulic also found the back of the net on the day.
In goal, Ryan Munch led the charge with 20 saves on the day. The junior recorded back-to-back games with 10 stops, working seven quarters of action in two games. Munch gave way to freshman Oren Penning to start the fourth quarter against Salem. Penning made four saves in his first collegiate outing.
In the first game of the day versus fellow Old Line State institution Johns Hopkins, Navy’s Bartlett brothers combined for seven goals to power the Midshipmen to a 13-9 victory. The older brother Quinn tallied four goals, while the youngest Bartlett brother Declan recorded his first collegiate hat trick with three scores.
Q. Bartlett started the scoring with a goal, but Johns Hopkins evened the score at one. Biddle converted a five-meter opportunity to regain the advantage, but the Blue Jays once again knotted the score. D. Bartlett scored his first goal of the game, but JHU once netted another equalizer. Black ended the first quarter with a goal to give the Mids a 4-3 lead after eight minutes.
In the second quarter, Johns Hopkins began the span by tying the game for the fourth time in the early going. Pointner registered back-to-back goals, marking his first collegiate scores, to give Navy a 6-4 advantage. Q. Bartlett extended the lead to 7-4 heading into halftime.
Q. Bartlett finished a hat-trick with a goal to start the third quarter. After consecutive scores by Hopkins, the Mids used a 3-0 run to push the advantage to 11-6. Murphy and the Bartlett brothers each scored during the run. Following a Blue Jays’ goal, D. Bartlett closed out the quarter with his third goal of the game for his first collegiate hat-trick.
Leading 12-7 through three quarters, the Midshipmen relied on stout defense to preserve the win. The visitors outscored the home team 2-1 with Arnold scoring the insurance goal for the Mids.
In the night cap, the Midshipmen jumped out to an early lead and never looked back to post a 23-11 victory over Salem.
Navy opened the game with a 3-0 run thanks to goals by McPhail, Q. Bartlett and Sekulic. Salem countered with back-to-back goals, but Letteau Stallings and Berry responded to regain a three-goal advantage. After a Tigers’ score, Murphy ended the first quarter with a marker to give Navy a 6-3 advantage.
In the second quarter, the Mids increased their lead to 11-3 thanks to a 5-0 quarter. D. Bartlett, Zech and Biddle scored one goal each in the quarter with Black finding the back of the net twice to push the advantage to eight.
The Midshipmen pushed the margin to 10, outscoring Salem, 7-5. Day, Zech and Mulvey continued the second-quarter run with three straight to increase the lead to 11. The Tigers scored consecutive goals to end the Mids’ run, but D. Bartlett and Biddle countered with strikes. Salem once again scored on back-to-back possessions, but Q. Bartlett ended the Tigers’ mini run. Following a Salem goal, Arnold closed out the third quarter with a goal to put the Mids up double digits, 18-8.
In the fourth quarter, Lustig scored his first collegiate goal to increase the advantage to 11. Salem countered with a goal, but Murphy responded to put Navy in front 20-9. Following a Tigers’ tally, Cashman and Mondzelewski found the back of the net. Salem scored to trim the margin back to 11, but Bergstedt netted his first collegiate goal in passing the final margin to a dozen at 23-11.
Information courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
