Sunday, November 12
Princeton, N.J.
1:30 p.m.
Princeton University
6
vs
9
Navy
Players Mentioned
C/CD
/ Men's Water Polo
C/CD
/ Men's Water Polo
C/CD
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
ATT
/ Men's Water Polo
Navy Tops Princeton 9-6 in Eastern Championship Game
November 12, 2006 | Men's Water Polo
PRINCETON – Navy rallied from a 5-4 halftime deficit to defeat the Princeton men's water polo team 9-6 in the title game of the 2006 Collegiate Water Polo Association Eastern Championship at Princeton's DeNunzio Pool.
With the win, Navy earns a berth in the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship "Final Four" at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles on December 2-3.
Navy goalkeeper George Naughton made 10 saves, including six in the second half, repeatedly stiffled the Tigers' offensive hopes to help his team overcome a 5-1 Princeton scoring run late in the second period and rally for the win.
Trailing at halftime, the Midshipmen went to their big guns as Mike Mulvey started the run with a shot, which beat Princeton goalie Scott Syverson with 5:55 left in the third period. The shot ignited Navy as Mulvey scored a penalty shot at 5:02, Bram Arnold drilled a shot from the outside at 3:54 and Mulvey finished off a third period natural hat-trick at 2:36 with a goal after Princeton's Gregor Horstmeyer was excluded for an 8-5 Midshipmen lead.
The Tigers attempted to climb back into the contest as Douglas Wigley beat Naughton with 48 seconds left in the period after Arnold was excluded, but Navy blockaded the goal in the fourth quarter behind the play of Naughton and received some offensive support as Arnold capped the victory with a goal 43 seconds into the period for the 9-6 final score.
The story of the game was scoring spurts as the Midshipmen built a 3-0 lead to open the game, saw their lead turn into a deficit by halftime and rallied for the comeback victory.
In the first period, Andrew Plumb opened the scoring as he buried a shot on an exclusion opportunity with 3:53 left in the period for a 1-0 lead. The margin grew to 2-0 before the end of the first eight minutes of play as Aaron Recko pumped and fired a shot which found the back of the cage with 53 seconds remaining in the frame.
Navy continued the run into the second period as Recko scored again with 5:18 remaining until halftime to give the Midshipmen a 3-0 lead.
However came back as Reid Joseph broke up the shutout attempt at 4:46 with a give-and-go score on an exlcusion opportunity. Princeton cut the lead to a goal over a minute later as Joseph broke through the Navy defense and unleashed a shot for a 3-2 deficit with 3:41 remaining on the clock.
Navy countered as Eric Gardiner put the Midshipmen back in front by a pair with a score at 3:25, but the Tigers pounced as Zach Beckman split the defense for an even strength goal at 2:59 and an exclusion goal at 1:40, after Gardiner was excluded, to knot the game at 4-4.
The half closed as Recko was excluded with 58 seconds remaining in the half and Nicholas Seaver capitalized with a goal at the 42 seconds mark for a 5-4 Tigers lead at the break.
Seaver was named first-team all-tournament, while Joseph and Syverson received second-team honors.
Navy 2 2 4 1 - 9
Princeton 0 5 1 0 - 6
Princeton Goals: Zach Beckmann (2); Reid Joseph (2); Nicholas Seaver; Douglas Wigley
Navy Goals: Mike Mulvey (3); Aaron Recko (2); Bram Arnold (2); Eric Gardiner; Andrew Plumb
Princeton Goalie Saves: Scott Syverson (10)
Navy Goalie Saves: George Naughton (10)
Ejections: Princeton 5, Navy 10
Sprints: Princeton 1, Navy 3
With the win, Navy earns a berth in the NCAA Men's Water Polo Championship "Final Four" at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles on December 2-3.
Navy goalkeeper George Naughton made 10 saves, including six in the second half, repeatedly stiffled the Tigers' offensive hopes to help his team overcome a 5-1 Princeton scoring run late in the second period and rally for the win.
Trailing at halftime, the Midshipmen went to their big guns as Mike Mulvey started the run with a shot, which beat Princeton goalie Scott Syverson with 5:55 left in the third period. The shot ignited Navy as Mulvey scored a penalty shot at 5:02, Bram Arnold drilled a shot from the outside at 3:54 and Mulvey finished off a third period natural hat-trick at 2:36 with a goal after Princeton's Gregor Horstmeyer was excluded for an 8-5 Midshipmen lead.
The Tigers attempted to climb back into the contest as Douglas Wigley beat Naughton with 48 seconds left in the period after Arnold was excluded, but Navy blockaded the goal in the fourth quarter behind the play of Naughton and received some offensive support as Arnold capped the victory with a goal 43 seconds into the period for the 9-6 final score.
The story of the game was scoring spurts as the Midshipmen built a 3-0 lead to open the game, saw their lead turn into a deficit by halftime and rallied for the comeback victory.
In the first period, Andrew Plumb opened the scoring as he buried a shot on an exclusion opportunity with 3:53 left in the period for a 1-0 lead. The margin grew to 2-0 before the end of the first eight minutes of play as Aaron Recko pumped and fired a shot which found the back of the cage with 53 seconds remaining in the frame.
Navy continued the run into the second period as Recko scored again with 5:18 remaining until halftime to give the Midshipmen a 3-0 lead.
However came back as Reid Joseph broke up the shutout attempt at 4:46 with a give-and-go score on an exlcusion opportunity. Princeton cut the lead to a goal over a minute later as Joseph broke through the Navy defense and unleashed a shot for a 3-2 deficit with 3:41 remaining on the clock.
Navy countered as Eric Gardiner put the Midshipmen back in front by a pair with a score at 3:25, but the Tigers pounced as Zach Beckman split the defense for an even strength goal at 2:59 and an exclusion goal at 1:40, after Gardiner was excluded, to knot the game at 4-4.
The half closed as Recko was excluded with 58 seconds remaining in the half and Nicholas Seaver capitalized with a goal at the 42 seconds mark for a 5-4 Tigers lead at the break.
Seaver was named first-team all-tournament, while Joseph and Syverson received second-team honors.
Navy 2 2 4 1 - 9
Princeton 0 5 1 0 - 6
Princeton Goals: Zach Beckmann (2); Reid Joseph (2); Nicholas Seaver; Douglas Wigley
Navy Goals: Mike Mulvey (3); Aaron Recko (2); Bram Arnold (2); Eric Gardiner; Andrew Plumb
Princeton Goalie Saves: Scott Syverson (10)
Navy Goalie Saves: George Naughton (10)
Ejections: Princeton 5, Navy 10
Sprints: Princeton 1, Navy 3
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