IRVINE, Calif. — The No. 18-ranked United States Naval Academy water polo team trailed by as many five goals in the third quarter to host/No. 8 University of California-Irvine at the Anteater Athletics Complex. The Midshipmen attempted to mount a comeback attempt that fell just short in dropping an 11-10 decision to the Anteaters on the final day of the UC-Irvine Mini Tournament.
“Today was a tough one,” head coach Luis Nicolao said after the game. “We fell behind early, but the guys never gave up. They fought their hearts out today and we just ran out of time. Give credit to Irvine. They are a good team. Top 10 for a reason. Even though it didn’t go our way today, I think we proved to everyone that we can compete against anyone and that no matter who we are in the pool against, it is going to be a battle until the end.”
Offensively, seven Midshipmen scored with three players notching multiple goals. Declan Bartlett, James Mulvey and Jack Reif each scored twice, while Quinn Bartlett, Colin McPhail, Jack Pointner and Luka Sekulic also found the back of the net.
In goal, Jack Rodoni earned the start with Ryan Munch entering the game in the second half. Rodoni was credited with five saves, while Munch notched four stops.
D. Bartlett opened up the scoring to put Navy in front 1-0 early. UC Irvine countered with back-to-back goals, but Mulvey evened the game at 2-2 with a goal. From there, the Anteaters took a 5-0 run over the next eight and a half minutes into the second quarter to take a 7-2 advantage. McPhail halted the with a goal, but UCI was able to close out the first half with a score to regain a five-goal advantage, 8-3.
Navy trimmed the margin to four as Reif scored to start the second half. UC-Irvine scored to retake a five-goal advantage. The Midshipmen countered with goals by Q. Bartlett and Sekulic to cut the deficit to three, 9-6. The Anteaters ended the frame with a goal to stretch their advantage back to four at 10-6.
In the fourth quarter, Mulvey netted his second goal of the game in trimming the margin to three. After a defensive stop, the Midshipmen turned the ball over, leading to an easy counter attempt by the Anteaters. Pointner was able to shave the deficit to three with a goal. The Mids used a tally by Reif to close the margin to two at 11-9. With 30 seconds remaining on the game clock, D. Bartlett found the back of the net to pull Navy within 11-10. However, the Anteaters were able to possess the ball for the final 30 seconds and hang on for a one-goal victory.
Information courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
