ANNAPOLIS, Md. - The Gannon men's water polo team fell short in their first match of the 2010 season, losing to NCAA Division I United States Naval Academy by a score of 18-8.

The Golden Knights battled a slow start, trailing 4-0 after one quarter. The United States Naval Academy, ranked 14th in the Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA), jumped on the Golden Knights in the second quarter and held a 10-0 advantage at the half. Gannon bounced back in the second half, picking up three goals in the third quarter. The Golden Knights out-scored the Midshipmen 5-4 in the final quarter but couldn't overcome the early deficit.

Senior Greg Naranjo (Coral Springs, Fla. / Stoneman Douglas) led the Golden Knights scoring with three goals. A trio of freshmen added the rest of the scoring with Daisuke Takagi (Tsukuba, Japan / Namiki) and Tytus Kwiatkowski (Northbrook, Ill. / Glenbrook North) each adding two goals in their first collegiate match. Mark Krolikiewicz (Elmhurst, Ill. / York High School) rounded out the scoring, adding one goal.

Neal Zoellick (Homewood, Ill./Homewood-Flossmoor) recorded six saves in the game.

Gannon returns to the pool today at 3:00 p.m. to face Bucknell University.

Gannon Men's Water Polo Box Score
US. Naval Academy Tournament
Saturday, September 4, 2010

Team (1st - 2nd - 3rd - 4th - Final)
Gannon (0 – 0 – 3 – 5 – 8)
U.S. Naval Academy (4 – 6 – 4 – 4 – 18)

Gannon Goals (8)
Greg Naranjo (3)
Daisuke Takagi (2)
Tytus Kwiatkowski (2)
Mark Krolikiewicz (1)

Gannon Goalkeeper
Neal Zoellick – 6 saves

U.S. Naval Academy (18)
Not Available