CORONADO, Calif. — The No. 20-ranked United States Naval Academy water polo team concluded its California trip with a game against back-to-back defending national champions/No. 1 the University of California at Coronado High School in Coronado, Calif. The top-ranked Golden Bears posted an 18-6 win over the Midshipmen.
“This was a great weekend for Navy water polo,” said head coach Luis Nicolao. “Today’s result wasn’t the best, but our team was able to compete against the top-ranked team in the country. Today’s game is going to make us better this season. We are leaving California with three wins. We were able to get a lot of players into the pool this weekend. It was a great start to the season.”
After going 3-1 in the Triton Invitational at the University of California-San Diego over the weekend, the Mids return to Annapolis with a 3-2 overall record, including an upset victory over No. 9 Long Beach State University.
Freshman Kiefer Black, who finished the game with four points on two goals and a pair of assists, led Navy’s offense. Tommy McKnew added two scores, while Rory Begin and Nathan Duchez both found the back of the net. Michael Heller joined Black with a pair of assists.
Defensively, the Midshipmen tallied 13 total saves with 10 steals in the game. Caden Capobianco led the charge with 10 stops in three quarters of play, posting a team-high four takeaways. Jack Hightower worked the final quarter, finishing the eight-minute stretch with three saves. Luka Sekulic, Holden Seybold and Black each notched two steals.
In the first quarter, the Midshipmen were able to scratch the scoreboard first as Begin slipped one by the keeper to put Navy in front 1-0. The Bears countered with three straight goals to take the lead. McKnew answered with a goal, trimming the margin to 3-2. Cal closed out the quarter with a strike to gain a 4-2 advantage heading into the second quarter. The Golden Bears extended their lead to 10-2 before Duchez ended the 6-0 run with a goal to close out the first half.
It was all Cal in the third quarter as the defending national champions outscored Navy, 7-0. The Midshipmen won the fourth quarter, outscoring the Golden Bears, 3-1, in the final period. Black dented the net with his first score of the game, while McKnew followed with his second goal. Black registered his fourth multi-goal performance in his first five collegiate games with his second goal of the fourth quarter. Cal scored one final goal to provide the final 12-goal margin.
Release courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
