ARLINGTON, Va. — The No. 17-ranked United States Naval Academy water polo team (21-5, 10-2 MAWPC) secured a 15-8 victory over George Washington (12-15, 3-9 MAWPC) at the Long Bridge Aquatics and Fitness Center in both teams’ final Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) regular season contest. Seven different Midshipmen found the back of the net, driven by a dominant offensive showing from Quinn Bartlett.
“Today was a good way to end the regular season,” head coach Luis Nicolao said after the game. “We were able to get the win. We had a good showing offensively and our goalies continued their solid performance this entire weekend. This time of year, you have guys that are battling illness or banged up a little bit. We now have a bye week to get healthy and focus on ourselves before we turn our attention to the conference tournament.”
The older Bartlett led the Midshipmen with a team-high four goals and three assists. Kiefer Black contributed a hat trick and an assist, while Declan Bartlett and Luka Sekulic each tallied two goals and two assists. Billy Zech also netted a pair of goals for the Midshipmen.
Navy established control immediately, erupting for six goals in the first quarter to take an early lead. The Midshipmen held a 9-6 advantage at halftime before stifling George Washington in the second half, outscoring them 6-2 across the final two frames. Connor Cashman and Jack Reif each added second-half goals, while Colin McPhail and James Mulvey facilitated the offense with two assists apiece.
A strong goaltending tandem anchored the Mids’ defense. Jack Rodoni manned the net for the first half, recording eight saves. Ryan Munch took over for the third and fourth quarters, stopping seven shots and allowing just two goals to secure the win.
Navy came out firing, quickly building a 3-0 lead behind early goals from Zech, Black and Q. Bartlett. George Washington answered back with a pair of goals to cut the deficit to one, but the Midshipmen closed the frame strong as Sekulic, Zech and Q. Bartlett each found the back of the net to make it a 6-2 game.
The second quarter turned into a back-and-forth battle. The Revolutionaries opened with consecutive goals to close the gap to 6-4, but Zech and Q. Bartlett immediately responded for Navy to restore a four-goal cushion. The teams traded scores for the remainder of the half, with Sekulic adding his second of the game to send Navy into the break with a 9-6 advantage.
George Washington struck first in the second half to pull within two at 9-7, but Navy’s defense clamped down from there, shutting out their opponents for the rest of the frame. Offensively, Sekulic, Black and Reif rattled off three unanswered goals to extend the Midshipmen’s lead to a comfortable 12-7.
Navy carried its momentum into the final frame as D. Bartlett, Black, and Q. Bartlett – netting his fourth goal of the contest – capped off a decisive 6-0 scoring surge. George Washington managed a final consolation goal late in the match, resulting in a 15-8 victory for the Midshipmen.
Release courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
