9/15/2004 - Men's Water Polo
Navy Men's Water Polo Gets Second Win of Day, Defeats George Washington, 13-6
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The Navy water polo team, ranked 12th in the latest national top-20 poll, closed out an unconventional doubleheader on Wednesday evening with a 13-6 victory at Collegiate Water Polo Association Southern Division rival George Washington. The Mids played Johns Hopkins in Baltimore earlier in the day, defeating the Blue Jays 11-8.
Navy (4-4) evened its season record with its third-straight win, and improved to 2-0 in conference play with the victory. The Midshipmen used another solid first half to distance themselves from the Colonials, leading 10-4 at the intermission. After posting a shutout in the third quarter for a 12-4 advantage, Navy held off the host team in the final frame for the 13-6 final.
ñGeorge Washington was a very physical team,î said Navy assistant coach Patrick Donlin. ñThey played tough, but we handled their attack pretty well. Our defense did a great job of not allowing GW to get good opportunities.î
Junior Alex Ratcliffe (Coronado, Calif.) led the way offensively for Navy with a game-best five goals. Senior Joe Snelgrove (Newport Beach, Calif.) had his third-straight three- goal game, while junior Jordan Gentry (San Antonio, Texas) was a multiple goal scorer with two. Also tallying for the Mids were senior James Sauls (Laguna Beach, Calif.), junior James Tripiano (Sunnyvale, Calif.) and sophomore Todd Carlson (Modesto, Calif.).
Junior Patrick McCreary (Edgewater, Md.) was solid in goal for Navy, stopping three shots and allowing four goals. The keeper also grabbed five steals, giving him 11 in today's two contests, and handed out two assists.
Navy head coach Mike Schofield was quick to point out the play of Snelgrove and senior captain Patrick Rollo (Palos Verdes, Calif.) in the games today. Rollo did not play against George Washington after injuring his hand in the Johns Hopkins contest, but the driver did contribute with two goals in the victory over the Blue Jays. Snelgrove had six goals total in two wins. Both players were tested to the max physically today after taking part in the SEAL Physical Fitness Test at 5:30 a.m. this morning, a competitive test administered to all seniors at the Naval Academy wishing to pursue Navy SEALS. The test involves a combination of push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, swimming and a timed run in combat boots.
ñThe SEAL PFT is a very competitive, challenging ordeal,î said Schofield. ñFor the two of them to come out here tonight and perform the way they did after going through that this morning is pretty impressive.î
Navy heads to Salem, W.Va., this weekend to face Princeton and Salem International in CWPA Southern Division action on Saturday, September 18.
NAVY 5 5 2 1 -- 13
GEORGE WASHINGTON 2 2 0 2 -- 6
Navy Goals: Ratcliffe (5), Snelgrove (3), Gentry (2), Carlson, Sauls, Tripiano.
Navy Goalkeeping: McCreary (3 svs., 4 GA); Cummings (1 svs., 1 GA); Warnecke (0 svs., 1 GA).
Man-Up: Navy 5-5. George Washington 3-7.
