No. 19 Air Force Falls To Third-Ranked UCLA

Sept. 11, 2004

Despite a strong defensive effort led by goalkeeper Jared Jones (Sr., Orange, Calif.), the No. 19 Air Force water polo team was unable to get past the third-ranked team in the nation, falling 9-3 to UCLA Friday night at the Cadet Natatorium.

The Bruins (2-0), showing why they are rated as one of the top three teams in the nation, dominated early in the game, scoring three unanswered goals in the first period. Junior Jeff Donaldson (Riverside, Calif.) was the first to get on the scoreboard for the Falcons, taking the assist from freshman Clark Condict (Irvine, Calif.) to cut the deficit to 3-1. However, UCLA found the net twice more in the first half to go into intermission with a 5-1 lead.

Air Force (1-4) responded well after the break, making several crucial defensive stops in the early minutes of the third period. However, the Falcons were unable to convert their momentum into points, while the Bruins managed to score two more goals within a span of 40 seconds to gain a 7-1 advantage.

Morgan, the Falcons' leading scorer on the season, found the back of the net for the first time in the game with 1:24 remaining in the third quarter, taking it off an assist from senior Matt Herrera (Villa Park, Calif.). Another UCLA goal, this time by John Blanchette, made the score 8-2 with just one period to play.

The final quarter showed a fierce battle between the two teams, with six drawn ejections, including four against the Bruins. Following the ejection of UCLA senior Brett Ormsby at the 1:56 mark, Bruins head coach Adam Krikorian was given a red card and the Falcons called a timeout, setting up another goal by Morgan just four seconds later. UCLA scored the final point with less than a minute remaining in the game to account for the final 9-3 score, but Air Force had shown its toughness in the game.

"I thought we played with a lot of heart tonight," said Air Force head coach Jeff Ehrlich. "We missed a lot of opportunities to keep the game close, but I thought we played very hard tonight against a great team. I believe that UCLA is the number one team in the country right now. They have a lot of their guys back from last year, including an Olympian (Ormsby)."

Senior Murphey Morgan (Altamonte Springs, Fla.), the Falcons' top field player of the evening, recorded two steals and a pair of drawn ejections in addition to his two goals. Meanwhile Jones, who tallied eight saves as well as two steals, was the backbone of the Air Force defense which made numerous huge stops against the visiting Bruins, particularly in the second half.

"Our goalie played very well tonight," said Ehrlich. "The goalkeeper is a lot like a quarterback, in that he leads the team. Jared did a very good job of directing the team and getting them back on defense. We were able to stop a lot of UCLA's opportunities."

Air Force returns to action on Sunday, Sept. 12, when it hosts service academy-rival Navy, currently ranked No. 11 in the country. The Midshipmen (1-4) were defeated by the Briuns earlier on Friday. Sunday's game, slated to begin at 9:00 a.m., will take place in the Cadet Natatorium and admission is free of charge.

#3 UCLA 9, #19 Air Force 3

UCLA 3 2 3 1 9

Air Force 0 1 1 1 3

UCLA Goals: Michael March 2, Josh Hewko, Albert Garcia, David Pietsch 2, Grant Zider, Brett Ormsby, John Blanchette

Air Force Goals: Murphey Morgan 2, Jeff Donaldson

Next Event

Footer