ARLINGTON, Va. – The United States Naval Academy water polo team posted a 14-11 road victory in the regular season finale over George Washington University at Long Bridge Park in Arlington, Va. The Midshipmen jumped out to an early 4-1 lead through the first quarter and matched the Revolutionaries over the final three quarters for the three-goal victory.
“This was a nice way to end the regular season,” said head coach Luis Nicolao. “We now have a week off to clean up some areas and get ready for the conference tournament up at Fordham in two weeks.”
Eight different Midshipmen found the back of the goal on the night with four Mids notching multiple scores. Aiden Berry led the way with three goals and an assist for four points, while Ryan Mondzelewski added a hat trick with three goals. Maddox Garrahy and Billy Zech added two scores apiece for two points, while Rory Begin and Matt Mai-Prasarnsuk finished with a goal and an assist each for two points apiece. Orion Erwin and Luka Sekulic rounded out the scoring, while Quinn Bartlett, Kiefer Black, Aiden Day, Austin Kahn, Jack Mason and James Mulvey added one assist apiece.
The Mids used three goalies on the night. Jack Rodoni led the way with eight saves and three steals, while Ryan Munch finished the night with four blocks and Jack Hightower added a pair of saves and a takeaway.
Navy was the first team to score as Erwin put the Mids in front 1-0 early. George Washington countered with a goal, but Zech notched back-to-back scores and Sekulic pushed the advantage to three at 4-1.
In the second quarter, GW cut the margin to two with a goal, but a 3-0 run by the Midshipmen extended the lead to 7-2. Berry, Begin, and Mondzelewski scored during the run. The Revolutionaries ended the first half with a goal to cut the margin to four, 7-3.
The home team began the third quarter with consecutive scores to once again cut the margin to two, 7-5. Navy countered with a 3-0 run thanks to goals by Mondzelewski, Mai-Prasarnsuk, and Berry. Following a GW goal, Berry converted a five-meter attempt to send the game into the final quarter of play with Navy in front, 11-6.
George Washington used a 3-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Mondzelewski stopped the run with a goal, but the Revolutionaries answered with a score to cut the margin to 12-10. Garrahy put the game out of reach, scoring a pair of goals to give the Midshipmen a four-goal advantage with under two minutes to play. The Mids defense surrendered a goal with nine ticks remaining on the clock, providing the final margin of 14-11.
Release courtesy United States Naval Academy Athletics Communications
