ANNAPOLIS, Md. — Mount St. Mary’s University faced a tough task during day one of the Navy Open hosted by the United States Naval Academy as the Mountaineers fell to No. 9 the University of California-Davis 26-7, and No. 14 Princeton University, 21-10.
Despite the tall order, sophomore Jason O’Donnell picked up on his All-America pace by scoring eight times in the two games.
O’Donnell scored three times against the Tigers of Princeton and five times against the UC-Davis Aggies, while senior Eli Thalos accounted for five of the team’s 17 goals on the day, including the opening goal of the season. Transfer Kiahi Horan got his first Mountaineers’ goal in the third quarter of the Princeton game.
Several athletes made their debuts Saturday, with three players scoring. Nate Hopkins, Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield and Jaden McNeal-Villafana all registered goals in the fourth quarter against the Tigers. Those goals – combined with three from O’Donnell – helped the Mount win a 6-2 advantage in the last eight minutes.
Three players tallied multi-assist efforts. Freshman Michael Lemishko and sophomore Kacper Cieplik had two against Princeton, while Horan dished out a pair versus UC-Davis.
Release courtesy Mount St. Mary’s University Athletics Communications
