ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The No. 20-ranked United States Naval Academy water polo team dropped an 11-7 decision to the United States Air Force Academy at Lejeune Hall in a clash of military academies. The Midshipmen were hurt by a slow start, scoring just a pair of goals in the first half.
“It was a great crowd tonight, and I just wish we would’ve given them a better show,” head coach Luis Nicolao said after the game. “We just started off too slow. We had a ton of opportunities, but were unable to capitalize on them and get the crowd into it. We found our groove in the third quarter, but at that point it was too little, too late. Hats off to Air Force. They are a solid team and they showed that tonight. This is a fun rivalry and we look forward to making the trip to Colorado next year.”
Offensively, the Midshipmen struggled to get into a consistent rhythm on the night, scoring seven goals in the contest. Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.) and Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) led the team with two goals apiece. Jake Altmayer (Pasadena, Calif.), Travis Berzins (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) and Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.) rounded out the scoring. Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.) accounted for four of the Mids’ seven assists on the night. Payton Comstock (Clarendon Hills, Ill.), Altmayer and Weggeland also recorded helpers in the game.
Defensively, the Midshipmen used a pair of goalies. Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) started the game and worked the first half. The senior recorded six saves with a steal, while surrendering seven goals. Sandberg gave way to Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) in the second half. The sophomore keeper made seven stops with a pair of steals, while giving up four goals.
In the first half, the Falcons were able to sneak a couple of goals by the Mids to take a 2-0 advantage. Kahn trimmed the margin to one to start the second quarter, but an Air Force goal pushed the lead back to two. Salinas buried a pass from Altmayer in the back of the net to pull Navy to within one. Air Force responded with four consecutive goals to close out the half, taking a 7-2 lead into intermission.
Navy opened the second half with back-to-back scores by Salinas and Weggeland, but Air Force answered with a pair of goals to go in front, 9-4. Berzins picked up a loose ball in front of the goal and slid it by the goalie to close the gap. Following a Falcons goal, the Mids offense worked the ball around until Altmayer found an opening for the goal. Kahn followed with a turn-around goal in front of the net to trim the margin to three, 10-7, through three quarters. In the fourth, Air Force opened the scoring with a goal 90 seconds into the period to go ahead, 11-7. The defense by both teams kept the ball out of the net for the next six and a half minutes, leaving the score 11-7 and securing The Vase for Air Force.
The game marked the 33rd meeting between Navy and Air Force and the first time since 2019. The Midshipmen now hold a 23-10 advantage in the all-time series after winning the two previous meetings between the teams (2018, 2019). Prior to 2018, Air Force won three consecutive games against the Midshipmen (2015, 2016, 2017), snapping a streak of 10 consecutive victories by Navy (2001-09).
The two teams play each other regularly, but the meeting marked the first time since 2009 that the two teams played each other in Annapolis. Generally, the two teams square off against one another at a neutral site.
The victor of the game wins the Vase.
In 2009, Bruce Hopping with the Kalos Kagathos Foundation in Laguna Beach, Calif. created an award – the Vase – which he made in the hopes that Air Force and Navy would play an annual game and the winner would receive the Vase. Hopping founded Kalos Kagathos with the goal “to put athletic fitness on a pedestal by creating sport-inspired statues and statuettes, much like the Greeks, ‘whose sculptures are a testament to the beauty of the human form and the grace of competition.'” Hopping’s goal was to have the two teams play each Fall and have the Vase on the line to represent “physical distinction, nobility of mind,” which he believed blended well into the values of each Academy.
Release courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
