Navy Water Polo Pulls Off Two Ranked Upsets, Stuns No. 11 Loyola Marymount in Overtime

By Brian Hradsky

The No. 18 Navy Midshipmen men’s water polo team delivered one of its most impressive days of the 2026 season Saturday, knocking off two nationally ranked opponents at the UC Irvine Mini Tournament in Irvine, California.

Navy opened the day by overcoming multiple three-goal deficits to defeat No. 17 Santa Clara, 13-10. The Midshipmen followed that performance with an even more dramatic comeback, rallying from three goals down against No. 11 Loyola Marymount before Ramsay Letteau Stallings scored the game-winning goal with three seconds remaining in overtime to give Navy a 19-18 victory.

The two victories improved Navy to 10-1 and gave the Midshipmen three consecutive victories over ranked opponents after their 14-13 win at No. 20 Air Force on Thursday. Navy also defeated No. 18 Harvard earlier in September, 17-13.

Navy did not make either victory easy Saturday. The Midshipmen trailed by three goals in both games, but head coach Luis Nicolao’s team repeatedly responded when it appeared its opponent was beginning to take control.

Navy rallies past No. 17 Santa Clara

Navy’s first game could not have started much worse.

Santa Clara jumped ahead 3-0 as the Broncos converted two five-meter opportunities during their opening run. Jack Pointner and James Mulvey responded for Navy, cutting the deficit to 3-2, but Santa Clara continued finding ways to stay ahead.

Jack Reif eventually pulled Navy within 4-3 before Santa Clara converted another five-meter opportunity to carry a 5-3 advantage into the second quarter.

Declan Bartlett opened the second period with a goal to make it 5-4. Santa Clara answered, Aiden Day scored for Navy and the Broncos responded again.

Back-to-back Santa Clara goals eventually pushed Navy’s deficit back to three at 8-5.

That was when the Midshipmen began taking over.

Luka Sekulic scored twice before halftime, cutting Santa Clara’s advantage to 8-7 and completely changing the momentum heading into the second half.

Midshipmen dominate second half

Navy carried that momentum into the third quarter and completely shut down Santa Clara’s offense.

Quinn Bartlett tied the game at 8-8 before Pointner scored to give Navy its first lead of the afternoon. Mulvey followed with his second goal, extending the advantage to 10-8.

Navy had turned an 8-5 deficit into a 10-8 advantage with five unanswered goals.

Mulvey completed his hat trick to begin the fourth quarter before Quinn Bartlett extended the Navy lead to 12-8. The four-goal advantage was the largest lead held by either team during the game.

Santa Clara finally ended Navy’s run, but the Midshipmen had an answer.

Declan Bartlett converted a five-meter opportunity to restore the four-goal advantage. Santa Clara scored once more, but Navy’s defense prevented the Broncos from getting any closer and finished off the 13-10 upset.

The defensive turnaround was remarkable.

After allowing Santa Clara to score eight times during the first half, Navy surrendered only two goals throughout the entire second half. The Midshipmen simultaneously scored eight times after falling behind 8-5.

Goalkeeper Jack Rodoni played a major role in that turnaround, finishing with 13 saves and four steals.

Another ranked opponent awaits

There was little time for Navy to celebrate.

The Midshipmen returned to the pool later Saturday to face No. 11 Loyola Marymount, and the second game developed into an offensive battle almost immediately.

LMU scored first before Declan Bartlett tied the game.

Reif gave Navy a 2-1 advantage, but Loyola Marymount responded. Sekulic restored Navy’s lead, only for LMU to tie the game again.

Captain Connor Cashman put the Midshipmen back ahead, but two consecutive LMU goals flipped the advantage.

Declan Bartlett then tied the game for the fifth time during the opening quarter before Loyola Marymount scored late to carry a 6-5 advantage into the second period.

Neither team could create much separation.

Colin McPhail, Sekulic and Kiefer Black each produced goals that tied the game during the second quarter. Sekulic eventually scored his third goal of the first half to send Navy into halftime holding a 9-8 advantage.

Loyola Marymount takes control

The game changed dramatically during the third quarter.

Loyola Marymount scored six times during the first six minutes of the period while Navy managed only two goals. Quinn Bartlett and Black provided those scores for the Midshipmen, but LMU eventually built a 14-11 advantage with approximately two minutes remaining in the quarter.

For the second time Saturday, Navy found itself three goals behind a nationally ranked opponent.

Once again, the Midshipmen refused to go away.

Black scored with 19 seconds remaining in the third quarter, trimming the deficit to 14-12 and giving Navy momentum heading into the final period.

Sekulic then pulled Navy within one.

LMU responded to restore its two-goal advantage, but Black and Billy Zech delivered consecutive Navy goals to tie the game at 15.

Neither team could find the decisive goal before regulation expired.

After already completing one comeback earlier in the day, Navy was headed to overtime against the No. 11 team in the country.

Navy falls behind again in overtime

The situation became even more difficult almost immediately.

Loyola Marymount scored the first two goals of overtime to take a 17-15 advantage. Navy had erased a three-goal deficit just to force overtime and suddenly found itself two goals behind again.

Maximus Arnold answered before the teams switched sides, cutting LMU’s lead to one.

The Lions scored again during the second half of overtime.

Navy trailed 18-16.

With time running out, the Midshipmen mounted one final comeback.

Sekulic scored his fifth goal of the game before Day delivered the equalizer, tying the score at 18 with only 24 seconds remaining.

Navy then needed one final defensive stand.

The Midshipmen forced an LMU turnover and immediately went the other direction.

Sekulic advanced the ball down the pool before passing to Black. Black spotted Letteau Stallings open and delivered the pass.

Letteau Stallings finished it.

With just three seconds remaining in overtime, he buried the shot to give Navy a 19-18 advantage.

Remarkably, it was his only goal of the day.

Munch preserves the victory

There was still enough time for one final Loyola Marymount desperation attempt.

Goalkeeper Ryan Munch made sure Navy’s comeback would stand.

Munch deflected LMU’s final shot as time expired, officially completing the Midshipmen’s second ranked upset of the day. He finished the game with 14 saves.

Navy had overcome deficits of 14-11 in the third quarter, 17-15 in overtime and 18-16 later in the extra period.

Each time, the Midshipmen responded.

The final response produced one of the most dramatic victories of Navy’s season.

Sekulic, Black lead huge offensive day

Sekulic led Navy offensively across Saturday’s two games with five goals, all five coming against Loyola Marymount.

Black finished the day with four goals and an impressive 10 assists. Six of those assists came during the victory over Santa Clara. Quinn Bartlett also scored four times across the two contests.

Declan Bartlett and Mulvey each contributed three goals. Day, Pointner and Reif finished with two apiece.

Arnold, Cashman, Letteau Stallings, McPhail and Zech also scored.

The depth of Navy’s production was particularly important because the Midshipmen needed different players to step forward at different points throughout the day.

Against Santa Clara, Mulvey’s hat trick helped Navy complete its comeback.

Against LMU, Sekulic’s five goals and Black’s all-around offensive performance drove the Midshipmen.

Then, with the game on the line, Letteau Stallings delivered the biggest goal of the weekend.

Goalkeepers come up big

Navy’s offensive numbers were impressive, but the Midshipmen also received outstanding performances in goal.

Rodoni earned the victory against Santa Clara with 13 saves and four steals. His performance became particularly important after Navy’s defense tightened dramatically during the second half.

Munch then made 14 saves against Loyola Marymount and produced the final stop after Letteau Stallings’ winning goal.

Between them, Navy’s goalkeepers recorded 27 saves against two nationally ranked opponents.

That gave Navy enough time to complete both comebacks.

Navy continues impressive September

Saturday’s sweep added to what had already been an excellent opening month for the Midshipmen.

Navy began its season by winning its first five games at the Navy Open, including victories over Johns Hopkins, Salem and Austin College. The Midshipmen later added a ranked victory over No. 18 Harvard and defeated Air Force 14-13 on Sept. 24.

By the conclusion of Saturday’s games, Navy stood at 10-1.

More importantly, the Midshipmen were showing that their strong record was not simply the result of beating unranked competition.

Santa Clara entered Saturday ranked No. 17.

Loyola Marymount was No. 11.

Navy beat both on the same day.

Nicolao praises Navy’s resilience

Nicolao emphasized the resilience his team demonstrated throughout the tournament.

Navy fell three goals behind in each contest but never allowed either deficit to change its approach. The Midshipmen continued working their way back into both games rather than attempting to erase everything at once.

That mentality showed throughout the afternoon.

Navy trailed Santa Clara 3-0 and later 8-5 before winning by three.

Against Loyola Marymount, the Midshipmen trailed 14-11, rallied to force overtime, fell behind 17-15 and then 18-16 before scoring the final three goals.

Those are the types of victories that can build confidence well beyond one weekend.

MSB Take

This might have been Navy water polo’s most impressive day of the 2026 season.

Beating one nationally ranked opponent is significant. Beating two in the same day is even better. Doing it while repeatedly coming from behind shows something different about this Navy team.

The Midshipmen could have folded when Santa Clara jumped ahead 3-0. Instead, Navy eventually scored five unanswered goals and held the Broncos to only two goals in the second half.

The LMU victory was even more impressive.

Navy had to come back from three down in regulation, two down in overtime and then another two-goal deficit later in the extra period. Sekulic and Black were outstanding, Munch kept Navy alive in goal and Letteau Stallings picked the perfect time for his only goal of the day.

Most importantly, Navy’s 10-1 record following Saturday was backed by legitimate quality victories. The Midshipmen had already beaten Harvard and Air Force before adding Santa Clara and Loyola Marymount to the list.

Navy looks like a team capable of competing with nationally ranked programs, and Saturday in Irvine provided plenty of evidence.

Two ranked opponents. Two comebacks. Two victories.

That is a tremendous day for Navy water polo.