ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The No. 19-ranked United States Naval Academy men’s water polo team split a pair of games on the opening day of the 2021 season at the Navy Open hosted by the Midshipmen at Lejeune Hall. The Mids opened the day by dropping a 18-7 decision to No. 3 University of California, but rebounded for a 16-6 victory over Salem University in the night cap.
“We did some good things today,” said head coach Luis Nicolao. “We weren’t perfect, but it is early in the season and we have time to fix some of our mistakes. I thought we played really well in the first half against an extremely talented Cal team. In the late game, I was proud of our guys coming out and posting an impressive performance against Salem. It was a good first day, but we can’t think about it too much because we have two more games tomorrow.”
On the day, the Midshipmen had 14 players net goals, including seven players who notched multiple goals on the day. Navy was led on the offensive end by Jordan Corpuz (Glendale, Calif.), who finished with three goals on the day, including a pair of scores in the win against Salem. Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.) paced the offense in game one with two goals, while Corpuz, Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.), Will Clark (Laguna Beach, Calif.), Peter Hillen (Orinda, Calif.), Chris Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.) and Spencer Shelley (Grapevine, Texas) each netted two goals against the Tigers.
In cage, Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.), Owen Gurich (Long Beach, Calif.) and Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) all saw action on the day. Capobianco and Sandberg split time in game one against Cal, while Capobianco and Gurich combined for the win against Salem. Capobianco tallied 15 saves on the day, while Sandberg notched six stops and Gurich finished with four saves.
Navy opened up the 2021 campaign with a hard-fought battle against Top-Five opponent California. The Midshipmen and Golden Bears were close for the first 14 minutes of the game before the visitors pulled away for the 18-7 win.
The Midshipmen had six players combine for the seven goals with Pang leading the charge with a pair of goals. Corpuz, Nathan Duchez (San Jose, Calif.), Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.), Danny Taylor (Riverside, Conn.) and Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.) each chipped in scores in the early contest, while Altmayer paced the offense with a pair of assists.
In goal, Navy’s Capobianco and Sandberg split time between the pipes. Capobianco started the game, working the first half with five saves and a pair of steals, while Sandberg closed out the game with six saves in the second half.
The game was back and forth early. After Cal scored the first goal of the game, Pang netted the equalizer to tie the game at one. The Bears followed a with a go-ahead score but Duchez knotted the score at two. Cal scored the final goal of the first quarter to take a 3-2 advantage into the first break. In the second quarter, Weggeland got the scoring started, netting a goal to once again tie the game. The visitors responded with three consecutive goals to break the tie and push the advantage to three. Salinas found the back of the goal for the first time this season to cut the margin to two at 6-4, but back-to-back goals sent the game into halftime with Cal in front, 8-4.
In the third quarter, the Golden Bears increased their advantage, outscoring the Mids, 5-1 in the quarter to take a 13-5 lead into the final quarter. Navy’s lone goal came from Corpuz at the six-minute mark of the quarter. In the final stanza, Cal pushed the lead to 18-5 before Navy scored the final two goals of the game. Taylor, playing in his first collegiate game, netted his first career goal, while Pang closed out the scoring with his second goal of the game. Pang’s two goals tied a career high for the sophomore.
In the second game of the day, the Midshipmen used a balanced attack to post a 16-6 victory over the Salem Tigers. Ten different players scored goals in the game, including six – Altmayer, Clark, Corpuz, Hillen, Kim and Shelley – with two goals apiece.
Capobianco registered 10 saves in the win, while Gurich added in four stops in his first collegiate action.
Salem opened the game with a quick score, but Navy quickly responded with four consecutive goals by Hillen, Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.), Kim, and Clark to take the lead, which they would not relinquish. After a Tigers’ goal, Kyle Yelensky (Samford, Conn.) and Hillen extended the advantage to 6-2. Salem closed out the quarter with a goal, but Navy began the second stanza with goals by Clark and Corpuz. Following a goal by the Tigers, the Midshipmen closed out the half with scores from Pang, Kim, and Shelley to push the advantage to 11-4.
In the second half, the Midshipmen extended their advantage in the third quarter, outscoring the Tigers, 3-0. Cole McKechnie (Laguna Beach, Calif.) started the quarter with a goal, while Altmayer followed with back-to-back scores to push the lead to 14-4 entering the fourth quarter. In the final period, the two teams played even with two goals scored each. Corpuz and Shelley each found the back of the net in the fourth, helping Navy to the 16-6 victory.
Release courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
