EMMITSBURG, Md. (September 27, 2022) – Trailing by six entering the final period, Mount St. Mary's men's water polo made a valiant charge at the Navy Midshipmen. The nation's future military officers held the line to hand the Mount a 16-13 defeat in Annapolis.
 
The Mount sees its five-game win streak snapped, dropping to 8-4 (3-3 MAWPC).
 
Tommaso Baldineti continued compiling numbers on the stat sheet, leading with six goals, four assists and three steals. Chrysostomos Valavanis and Kiahi Horan added multi-goal games and Alexandros Bellesis finished with three assists. Goalkeeper Joseph Maxson totaled seven saves and a multi-steal effort.
 
Limiting the Mountaineers to four first half scores, Navy built a 9-4 lead at the break. But the third quarter has been the best so far for the Mount and this night was no different. Doubling their score, Horan's pair with goals by Baldineti and Nicholas Wallace-Whitfield kept the contest within reach at 14-8 Midshipmen.
 
Down five at the three minute window, the Mount pieced a 3-0 run with a Baldineti score. Valavanis and Baldineti found the back of the net again within seconds of each other to cut the game back to 15-12. But Navy buckled down, adding the final insurance goal with 11 ticks on the clock.
 
Navy 16, Mount St. Mary's 13
 
Team                 1    2    3    4
Mount St. Mary's     2    2    4    5   
Navy                 3    6    5    2
 
Goals: Baldineti 6, Valavanis 2, Horan 2, Wallace-Whitfield 1, Thalos 1, Bellesis 1   
 
Saves: Maxson 7
 
Mount St. Mary's flies westward to California to participate in the Gary Troyer Tournament Friday and Saturday.