No. 20 Navy Water Polo Completes Perfect Navy Open With Two More Victories
No. 20 Navy water polo finished a perfect opening weekend Sunday morning, sweeping Austin College in a doubleheader to close the 2026 Navy Open at Lejeune Hall in Annapolis. The Midshipmen rolled to a 17-5 victory in the opener before completing the sweep with a 15-6 win in the second game. Navy improved to 5-0 to begin the season after winning all five of its games during the three-day tournament.
The Midshipmen received contributions throughout the lineup Sunday, with 10 different players scoring at least once and eight players recording multiple goals across the two games. Aiden Berry and Connor Cashman led Navy with six goals apiece, while Tanner Lustig finished with four. Luke Kirincich, Ryan Mondzelewski, Declan Murphy and Hudson Parks each scored three times, while Declan Bartlett added two goals.
Cashman delivered hat tricks in both games against Austin College, providing Navy with consistent production from its senior captain. Berry, Lustig and Kirincich also recorded hat tricks during the opening game as the Midshipmen quickly created separation. The offensive depth continued what became a theme throughout the Navy Open, with Navy receiving scoring contributions from veterans and younger players alike.
Navy dominates first meeting, 17-5
Navy wasted little time establishing control in the first game, scoring all five goals in the opening quarter. Cashman opened the scoring before Berry struck twice in succession, giving the Midshipmen an early 3-0 advantage. Lustig and Kirincich followed with goals of their own as Navy carried a commanding 5-0 lead into the second period.
Austin College finally broke through with consecutive goals during the second quarter, but Navy immediately responded. Murphy, Berry and Parks combined for three straight Navy goals, with Parks recording the first collegiate goal of his career. Lustig and Kirincich then added two goals apiece later in the period, allowing the Midshipmen to take a 12-3 advantage into halftime.
Navy continued applying pressure after the break. Austin Kahn and Berry scored during the third quarter, while Cashman added two goals to push the lead to 16-4 entering the fourth. Austin College scored once in the final period, but Mondzelewski converted a five-meter opportunity to complete Navy’s 17-5 victory.
Midshipmen overcome early deficit in game two
Austin College gave Navy a different challenge in the second meeting by scoring the first two goals of the contest. Bartlett and Murphy answered for the Midshipmen, however, allowing Navy to finish the opening quarter tied at 2-2. The response set up a dominant second period that completely changed the game.
Navy outscored Austin College 7-1 in the second quarter. Mondzelewski, Cashman and Parks fueled a four-goal run, with Parks scoring twice during the stretch to give Navy a 6-2 lead. After Austin College briefly stopped the run, Cashman scored twice more and Bartlett added another goal as Navy entered halftime with a 9-3 advantage.
Austin College scored twice to begin the third quarter and cut Navy’s lead to 9-5, but the Midshipmen never allowed the game to become uncomfortable. Berry answered with consecutive goals before Jack Mason scored to restore a 12-5 advantage. Lustig, Mondzelewski and Murphy then supplied Navy’s final three goals of the morning in the fourth quarter to finish the 15-6 victory.
Penning strong in goal
Freshman goalkeeper Oren Penning started both games Sunday and handled the first three quarters of each contest. Penning made eight saves in each game, finishing the morning with 16 saves over six quarters. Senior Francis Hendrickson handled the fourth quarter of both games and added three total saves.
Penning’s performance provided another encouraging sign for Navy after he made his collegiate debut one day earlier against Salem. Junior Ryan Munch had handled most of the goalkeeper duties Saturday, recording 20 saves across victories over Johns Hopkins and Salem. Navy’s ability to give multiple goalkeepers meaningful playing time while continuing to win gave head coach Luis Nicolao additional opportunities to evaluate his roster early in the season.
Navy finishes tournament 5-0
The two victories completed an undefeated Navy Open for the Midshipmen. Navy opened its season Friday with a dramatic 15-14 comeback victory over Mount St. Mary’s, overcoming multiple four-goal deficits before rallying late. The Midshipmen followed Saturday with a 13-9 win over Johns Hopkins and a convincing 23-11 victory against Salem.
Sunday’s victories pushed Navy to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in Mid-Atlantic Water Polo Conference play. Across the five games, Navy defeated Mount St. Mary’s, Johns Hopkins, Salem and Austin College twice, while showing several different ways it could win. The Midshipmen survived a one-goal battle in the opener, handled a competitive Johns Hopkins team and then produced three consecutive comfortable victories to close the tournament.
Nicolao praised the overall weekend while also acknowledging that Navy still has areas to improve. The ability to get nearly every healthy player into the pool was particularly important during an opening weekend featuring five games over three days. Navy will now have an immediate opportunity to measure itself against nationally ranked competition away from Annapolis.
Tougher tests await at Princeton Invitational
Navy travels to Princeton, New Jersey, for the Princeton Invitational on Sept. 12-13. The Midshipmen are scheduled to face No. 12 Princeton on Saturday morning before meeting LIU later that afternoon. Navy will conclude the weekend Sunday against No. 18 Harvard.
Those matchups should provide a much stronger early-season measurement for a Navy team that entered the season ranked No. 20 nationally. After opening 5-0 at home, Navy will now have the opportunity to prove its fast start can translate against ranked opponents and away from Lejeune Hall. The Midshipmen have already demonstrated considerable depth, balanced scoring and multiple goalkeeper options through their first weekend.
MSB Take
Navy could hardly have asked for a better opening weekend. Going 5-0 is impressive by itself, but the bigger story may be how many different Midshipmen contributed during the Navy Open. Cashman and Berry gave Navy veteran offensive production Sunday, while players such as Parks, Lustig, Murphy and Bartlett continued showing that this roster has plenty of young talent behind its established players.
The Mount St. Mary’s game showed Navy can respond when things go wrong, while the final four games showed the Midshipmen can take control and put opponents away. Penning’s strong Sunday performance also gives Nicolao another option in goal after Munch played well Saturday. Five games do not define a season, but Navy could not have provided many more encouraging signs during its opening weekend.
Now the schedule becomes much more interesting. Facing No. 12 Princeton and No. 18 Harvard during the same weekend will tell us considerably more about where Navy stands nationally. The Midshipmen have earned their 5-0 start, and the Princeton Invitational represents their first opportunity to show that this team might be capable of climbing well above No. 20 as the season progresses.
