LEWISBURG, Pa. — The No. 18-ranked United States Naval Academy water polo team (20-5) earned a 19-11 victory against the seventh-seeded Johns Hopkins Blue Jays (5-18) in the first round of the Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference (MAWPC) Championship at Kinney Natatorium. Nine different Midshipmen scored goals, including four multi-goal performances.
The win was Navy’s 20th of the season, marking the first 20-win season for the Midshipmen since going 23-6 in 2012.
“This was a good start to the tournament for us,” head coach Luis Nicolao said after the game. “We did some things well, but we had a lapse in the second quarter that allowed Hopkins to get back into the game for a second. At this point of the season, every game is going to be a battle. Everyone knows each other and their tendencies so nothing will come easy. We are happy to get the first win, but we have not accomplished our goal yet. There is still work to do.”
Kiefer Black, who was named MAWPC Rookie of the Year earlier in the day, led the team with five goals, while adding a team-high three assists to finish with eight points. Fellow freshman Aiden Day, who was a second-team all-conference honoree, added four goals, while senior Hayden Kahn netted three goals in the first quarter for his hat trick. Henry Williams found the back of the net twice with Sam Collingwood, Nathan Duchez, Tommy McKnew, Alejandro Schmidt-Corujo and Holden Seybold adding scores.
Goalie Caden Capobianco joined Black with a team-high three assists, while Seybold and Williams added two helpers apiece. Collingwood, Rory Begin, Connor Cashman, Merle Richman, Spencer Shelley and Kyle Yelensky were also credited with assists in the contest.
Capobianco earned the victory at goal. The senior team captain finished with 12 saves and eight goals allowed. The First Team All-MAWPC selection gave way to freshman Francis Hendrickson and fellow senior Owen Gurich to close out the game between the posts. Both keepers turned away a shot apiece to give Navy 14 stops as a team.
Navy finished with 13 steals as a team with Day, McKnew, Richman, and Williams leading the charge with two takeaways apiece.
In the first quarter, the Midshipmen jumped out to a quick lead. Kahn registered back-to-back strikes, while Black skipped one past the keeper. Following a Blue Jays’ goal, Seybold pushed the advantage back to three, 4-1, with a goal and Black scored his second of the quarter. Hopkins notched a goal, but the Mids ended the quarter with goals by Kahn, Collingwood, and Duchez.
Navy increased its lead to double digits in the second quarter, but had to fight off a comeback attempt by Johns Hopkins. McKnew started the second with a goal, while Day scored a pair and Black completed his hat trick to push the advantage to 12-2. The Blue Jays closed the half with a 5-0 run to trim the margin to 12-7 with one half to play.
Day started the second half with back-to-back scores to push the Navy lead back to seven goals, 14-7. Following a Johns Hopkins score, Black notched his fourth goal of the day and Williams found the back of the net to double up the Blue Jays, 16-8.
In the fourth quarter, the Midshipmen matched the Blue Jays to secure the eight-goal victory. Black started the quarter with his fifth tally of the game. Johns Hopkins found the back of the net, but Williams countered with is second score of the day. JHU found the back of the net, but Navy countered with a goal by Schmidt-Corujo. Hopkins scored the final goal of the game, but Navy advanced to the semifinals with a 19-11 victory.
With the win, Navy will play the winner of tournament-host and three-seed Bucknell and six-seed Mount St. Mary’s University at 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, November 18. Johns Hopkins will conclude its season on November 18 as the Blue Jays will return to the water at 1:00 p.m. to face the fallen from a game pitting fifth-seeded George Washington University and fourth seeded Wagner College before taking on the Bucknell-Mount St. Mary’s loser at 5:30 p.m.
Release courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
