BRONX, N.Y. — The No. 17-ranked United States Naval Academy water polo team moved to .500 in the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference with an 18-7 win over Mercyhurst University at the Col. Francis B. Messmore Aquatic Center on the campus of Fordham University.
“After the two games yesterday, I was proud of how the guys stepped up to the challenge today,” said head coach Luis Nicolao. “The team came out strong in the first quarter and was able to build up a good lead. We were able to play a lot of different people today and they all stepped up to help end the weekend on a high note.”
Thirteen different Midshipmen scored goals in the game. Quinn Bartlett and Henry Williams led the attack with three goals apiece, while Luka Sekulic added a pair of scores. Rory Begin, Kiefer Black, Jack Clark, Orion Erwin, Ethan Gao, Michael Heller, Matt Mai-Prasarnsuk, Liam McInerney, Holden Seybold and Billy Zech all recorded goals in the game.
Bartlett also tied Black and Erwin for the team-lead with two assists, giving the freshman a team-best five points on the day.
At goal, Ryan Munch earned the start. The freshman finished the game with five saves, two steals and an assist in the first half. He gave way to fellow freshman Jack Rodoni who notched eight stops in two quarters of play.
Navy jumped out to an early 7-0 lead. Sekulic started the run with back-to-back scores and Erwin, Seybold, Black, Bartlett and Heller each found the back of the net during the Mids’ opening seven-goal run. Mercyhurst was able to scratch the scoreboard, sending the game into the second quarter with Navy in front 7-1.
In the second quarter, the Midshipmen increased their advantage to eight goals. Mai-Prasarnsuk and Williams (twice) pushed the lead to 10-1. The Lakers scored consecutive goals to trim the deficit to seven, but Begin and Zech countered to push the margin to nine. Mercyhurst closed out the quarter with a goal to send the game into halftime with Navy in front, 12-4.
Navy outscored Mercyhurst 5-1 in the third quarter to push its lead to 12. Bartlett scored a pair of goals in the quarter with Clark, Gao, and McInerney finding the back of the net.
The two teams matched each other’s defensive efforts in the fourth quarter with just three goals being scored during the eight-minute span. The Lakers used a pair of penalty shots for their two goals, while the Mids got a goal from Williams to complete his hat trick.
Release courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
