Courtesy: Navy Athletics
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Navy water polo team (6-9) dropped a pair of games to top-15 opponents on Saturday out in California. The Midshipmen battled hard, but ultimately fell 7-5 to No. 14 Santa Clara (8-5) in the final game of the Gary Troyer Memorial Tournament at the Axelrood Aquatics Center in Claremont, Calif. In the nightcap, the Mids lost to No. 3 UCLA (13-1), 13-5, at Dirks Pool at Spieker Aquatics Center in Los Angeles.
“We played much better today,” head coach Luis Nicolao stated of his team. “We had our opportunities against Santa Clara, but we weren’t able to come away with the win. They are a good team that is nationally-ranked so you can’t miss those opportunities and expect to win. With UCLA, they are the defending national champions. They are a tough team and they showed that today. We have one more game out here in California and we are looking forward to once again get in the pool and have an opportunity to improve and get better.”
Offensively, six different Midshipmen found the back of the net on the day, including a pair of Mids with multiple goals. Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) paced the team with four goals on the day. The senior captain notched two goals in each game. Travis Berzins (Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.) finished the day with a pair of scores, finding the back of the net twice against Santa Clara.
Defensively, Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) and Max Sandberg (Newport Beach, Calif.) each saw time between the pipes. Capobianco finished the day with 18 total saves with seven steals in a game and a half, while Sandberg tallied seven stops in a half. Capobianco registered 11 saves against Santa Clara with seven stops against UCLA, while Sandberg posted seven saves against the nationally-ranked Bruins.
Navy closes out its California road trip on Sunday afternoon at 1:00 p.m. (ET) as the Midshipmen take on No. 9 San Jose State at the Burns Aquatics Center on the campus of Loyola Marymount. Live stats will be available through the game.
Game 1 Recap: #14 Santa Clara 7, Navy 5
Santa Clara started the game with a goal to take an early lead, but Navy responded with three straight goals to take a lead through one quarter. Salinas, Berzins, and Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.) each netted goals. The second quarter saw the Broncos trim the margin to one, 3-2.
In the second half, Berzins scored his second goal of the game, but back-to-back scores by Santa Clara knotted the game at 4-4 through three quarters. The Broncos took the lead to start the fourth quarter, but Salinas responded to tie the game at five. Santa Clara closed out the game with back-to-back scores to earn the 7-5 win.
Game 2 Recap: #3 UCLA 13, Navy 5
In the second game, the defending national champions jumped out to a lead and never looked back. UCLA used three goals to take an early 3-0 lead. Chris Kim (Los Angeles, Calif.) scored to trim the margin to two. The Bruins closed out the quarter with two more scores to go up 5-1 through one period. Salinas started the second with a goal, but three straight scores by the hosts extended the advantage to six. Salinas found the back of the net for the second time in the quarter, but consecutive goals put UCLA in front, 10-3, at halftime.
The second half was saw the Bruins score the only goal of the third quarter and the two teams tie in the fourth. Hayden Kahn (San Clemente, Calif.) and Spencer Shelley (Grapevine, Texas) netted goals in the fourth quarter to match UCLA’s two scores.
Game 3 Recap (Sunday)
LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Navy water polo team (6-10) was edged, 7-4, by No. 9 San Jose State (8-9) at the Burns Aquatics Center on the campus of Loyola Marymount in the Mids’ final game of their California road trip. The Mids tied the game at 3-3 in the third quarter, but a late push by the Spartans gave them the win.
“Defensively, we played very well,” head coach Luis Nicolao said. “We limited a good San Jose State team to just seven goals, but once again, we weren’t able to put the ball in the net offensively. We had opportunities, but were not able to score like we needed to. We have a bye next week before resuming conference play. We are going to return home, make adjustments, and prepare for the heart of the conference season.”
Defensively, the Midshipmen held the potent Spartan offense to seven goals on 35 shots. Caden Capobianco (Laguna Beach, Calif.) recorded 14 saves in the game, while adding five of Navy’s 11 total steals. Isaac Salinas (Spring City, Pa.) and Ivan Pang (El Monte, Calif.) added two steals apiece.
Offensively, Navy struggled to find the back of the net. The Mids tallied four goals from four different players. Tommy McKnew (Tiburon, Calif.), Spencer Shelley (Grapevine, Texas), Jack Weggeland (Riverside, Calif.), and Salinas each found the back of the net for the Midshipmen. Graham Lindner (Bel Air, Md.), Salinas, and Weggeland each registered assists in the game.
In the first quarter, the two teams played stellar defense, limiting offensive production. San Jose State started the scoring with a goal, but Weggeland responded to knot the score at one apiece. The Spartans were able to sneak one past the goalie to go ahead, 2-1, through the first quarter. The second quarter saw the defense remain tight for both squads. San Jose State was able to find the back of the net for a goal, but the score would be the only one for either team in the period.
Navy was able to knot the score at 3-3 in the third quarter. Salinas trimmed the margin to one with a goal and McKnew tied the game at three. San Jose State responded with two goals to close out the quarter to regain the advantage, 5-3. The Spartans increased their edge in the fourth quarter, scoring the first two goals of the period. Shelley stopped the SJSU run with a goal to chip into the lead, 7-4, but that would be it as the nationally-ranked Spartans would hold on for the three-goal victory.
Navy returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 16 as the Midshipmen return to conference play, hosting Johns Hopkins (10:00 a.m.) and Bucknell (7:00 p.m.) at Scott Natatorium in Annapolis.
