STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. — The No. 15-ranked United States Naval Academy water polo team improved to 13-3, 4-1 in Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) competition as the Midshipmen posted an 11-9 defeat of host Wagner College at the Spiro Sports Center.
“Overall, I am pleased with how we played this weekend,” said head coach Luis Nicolao. We were able to get the win against Wagner, which is not easy in their shallow-deep pool. It makes for a real home-pool advantage, which is tough.”
“I don’t think we have reached our potential yet. We will continue to work hard and improve so hopefully we are playing our best polo in November.”
The Seahawks were the first to score, but the Midshipmen countered with goals by Quinn Bartlett and Aiden Day to close out the first quarter in front, 2-1.
Declan Bartlett began the second quarter with back-to-back goals to push the Mids’ advantage to 4-1. Wagner was able to stop the run with a goal, but Luka Sekulic countered with a goal to give Navy a 5-2 advantage. The Seahawks used a five-meter goal to trim the margin to two, but Jack Reif sent the game into halftime with the Midshipmen in front, 6-3.
In the third quarter, Wagner opened the scoring with a goal, but D. Bartlett and Kiefer Black responded to give Navy an 8-4 advantage. The Seahawks were able to close out the period with a pair of goals to trim the Mids’ lead to just two, 8-6, heading into the final quarter of play.
Navy started the fourth quarter with a 3-0 run to take its largest lead of the day, 11-6. D. Bartlett began the run with Connor Cashman and Day scoring to give the Midshipmen the five-goal cushion. With a five-goal lead, Navy was able to work the clock and preserve the victory even though Wagner closed the game with three goals.
Information courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
