April 25, 2008

ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- The Navy water polo team closed out its spring season with a 3-1 record during the final two days of competition. Navy defeated Princeton, Air Force, Northern Virginia Club and lost to the New York Athletic Club.

"The team competed fairly well against both Princeton and Air Force, but we were very unfocused and disorganized against the Senior Men's teams from NYAC and NOVA," said Navy head coach Mike Schofield. "A lot of credit goes to both of those clubs for capitalizing on their strength and smarts and negating our fitness all day long. Hopefully we learned something from that."

In Navy's 11-7 win over Eastern rival Princeton, the Mids outscored the Tigers, 7-3, in the second half to break a 4-4 halftime tie. Micheal Mulvey scored three goals, while Marek Malik and Luke Baldwin scored a pair each. Rising junior Brett Rajchel stopped nine shots in goal.

Then, in Navy's 10-5 win over Air Force, Navy dominated the first three quarters before cruising in the fourth quarter. Mulvey and Dan Zoellick scored three times each, while Rajchel made 10 saves.

On day two, Navy led the New York Athletic Club, 5-4, at halftime, but saw NYAC outscore the Mids, 6-1, in the second half for a 10-6 decision. Johnny Meiners scored two goals, while four others notched one goal each. Rajchel made nine saves in goal.

Lastly, Navy defeated Northern Virginia Club, 7-6, using a 3-1 third-quarter advantage to break open a tight game. Joe Moffit scored two goals, while five others scored one goal each. Rajchel stopped nine shots in goal.

"I was really encouraged by the play of our sophomore goalie, Brett Rajchel. He had his first taste of replacing our graduating three-year starters, George Naughton and Steve Craney, and he responded very well," said Schofield. "Brett has a lot of growth ahead, but he's had a good spring, as has our whole team."

Navy went 30-6 last season and finished third at the NCAA Championships. The Mids will open their season next year, hosting the Navy Labor Day Open.

# GO NAVY #