New York Athletic Club Surges To 3-0 Start As 2022 National League Begins In Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach, CA - March 14 - The first weekend of the 2022 National League concluded at Ocean View High School in Huntington Beach, CA yesterday evening with New York Athletic Club atop the standings and the Los Angeles Athletic Club undefeated. For complete Week 1 results, see below. For more information on the National League, including current standings and future schedules, click here. Don't forget admission is FREE to all matches with LIVE streaming available at YouTube.com/USAWP (via Game On Live Studios) and LIVE stats available at 68Scores.com (via 6-8 Sports).

Week 1 Results
Riptide 8 USC 7
Los Angeles Athletic Club 14 USA Collegiate 7
USC 9 USA Academy 7
New York Athletic Club 11 The Olympic Club 8
Olympic Club 15 USA Academy 10
New York Athletic Club 12 USA Collegiate 10
Los Angeles Athletic Club 13 Riptide 11
The Olympic Club 8 USA Collegiate 7
New York Athletic Club 10 USA Academy 8

2022 National League Standings after Week 1
Two points are awarded for a win and one point for a shootout loss.

1. New York Athletic Club (3-0) 6 points
2. Los Angeles Athletic Club (2-0) 4 points
3. The Olympic Club (2-1) 4 points
4. Riptide (1-1) 2 points
5. USC (1-1) 2 points
6. Alumni (0-0) 0 points
7. USA Academy (0-3) 0 points
8. USA Collegiate (0-3) 0 points

New York Athletic Club Shines: New York Athletic Club did not disappoint as they went 3-0 on the weekend. Their first game provided a star-studded affair as they battled The Olympic Club and came away with an 11-8 victory. Lucas Gielen came up big with four goals and Chris Whitelegge recorded 11 saves in the cage. In their second game, New York Athletic Club held off USA Collegiate, 12-10, behind five goals from two-time Olympian Alex Obert. New York Athletic Club's final game against USA Academy proved to be a bigger challenge than most thought, but they outlasted the youngsters 10-8. Obert and Gielen each scored three times to lead NYAC to victory.

Los Angeles Athletic Club Unbeaten: Los Angeles Athletic Club came out strong going 2-0 on the opening weekend. They were led by Calder Hilde-Jones' perfect 4/4 day from the field in the opener, a 14-7 win over USA Collegiate. Then, Zack Rhodes' 14 saves in net propelled LAAC to a 13-11 come from behind victory in the fourth quarter at the hands of Riptide.

Save City: There were some great goal keeping performances this weekend as Riptide's Alex Wolf recorded 18 saves in his first game while LAAC's Zack Rhodes recorded 14 saves against both USA Collegiate and Riptide.

League Leaders: New York Athletic Club's Alex Obert is the National League's top scorer after Week 1 as he has tallied 11 goals through three games. NYAC goalie Chris Whitelegge leads the league with 30 saves while USA Academy's Ryder Dodd is lapping the field with 10 sprint wins.

Tokyo Olympians Cap Up: Alex Obert was just one of the many Team USA Olympians in the house this past weekend. He was joined by fellow Tokyo teammates Alex Wolf (Riptide), Luca Cupido (Olympic Club) and Jesse Smith (New York Athletic Club). This crew was all part of a sixth place finish for Team USA last summer in Japan.

6-8 Sports +/- Debuts: As part of their coverage of the National League, 6-8 Sports Game Desk platform offers a plus/minus stat to give a more complete look at an athlete's overall impact on the game. Through two days of competition, Obert leads the way at a +20.4. Paul Reynolds of The Olympic Club is in second at +15.1 with New York Athletic Club's Ryder Roberts in third with a +14 mark.

Up Next: Week 2 action heads to Beckman High School in Irvine, CA on March 26-27. A full schedule is available by clicking here.

Stat Watch: 6-8 Sports is the official stat program of the National League. In addition to live scoring during the matches, 6-8 Sports provides box scores and league leaders. Stats are available here.

Video Highlights: USA Water Polo TV was on site this weekend in Irvine to profile some of the matches. Highlights from those matches will be available this week on the USA Water Polo social media channels. Be sure to follow @USAWP to get a closer look at USC vs USA Academy and The Olympic Club vs New York Athletic Club.

Social Media: The hashtag #USAWPNL is the official hashtag of the National League. When you are posting information on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram about the National League, be sure to add #USAWPNL. Have your voice heard in the National League conversation!