No. 19 Falcons Head To Northern California Open
10/11/2005 12:00:00 AM | Water Polo
The 19th-ranked Air Force water polo team (7-5, 5-2 WWPA) returns to action this weekend, Oct. 15-16, when it travels to the Northern California Open, hosted by Cal. The Falcons, who compete in Bracket C, will open the tournament Saturday against No. 3 Stanford at 10:20 a.m. (PT) at Miramonte High School's Bill Brown Aquatics Center in Orinda, Calif. Games for the tournament will also take place at Cal's Spieker Aquatics Complex.
The Field...
This weekend's tournament includes 16 teams, 15 of which are currently ranked in the nation's top 20. Bracket A features top-ranked Cal, No. 8 Long Beach State, No. 9 Loyola Marymount and UC Santa Cruz. Bracket B includes No. 2 USC, No. 7 UC Irvine, No. 10 Pacific and No. 20 Santa Clara. Bracket C is comprised of third-ranked Stanford, No. 6 UC San Diego, No. 11 St. Francis and No. 19 Air Force, while Bracket D features No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Pepperdine, No. 14 UC Davis and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara.
Last Time Out...
Air Force went 3-2 at its own East Meets West Tournament two weeks ago, defeating Iona, 11-7, in the third-place contest.
After opening the weekend with a 13-7 victory over WWPA opponent Occidental, the Falcons dropped tough contests to Brown (7-4) and ninth-ranked Loyola Marymount (12-7). Air Force then wrapped up the tournament by dealing Iona a pair of losses.
Sophomore Clark Condict was the Falcons' high scorer for the tournament, finishing the weekend with 10 goals and five assists, while junior Kyle Schafer, who was chosen as Air Force's representative on the all-tournament team, added eight scores and three assists. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Denver Saunders tallied 27 saves on the weekend.
Scouting the Cardinal...
The third-ranked Stanford Cardinal, which currently holds a record of 8-2, is coming off a 9-2 victory over 10th-ranked Pacific. The team's only two losses this season have been to top-ranked Cal and second-ranked USC.
The Cardinal, coached by John Vargas, is led by Thomas Hopkins, who has 23 goals on the season, while Peter Varellas has added 22 goals. Meanwhile, Sandy Hohener paces Stanford's goalkeepers with 47 saves on the season.
Series Record...
This weekend, Air Force and Stanford will meet for the 17th time, with the Cardinal holding a 16-0 all-time record against the Falcons. The teams have not faced each other since 2000, when Stanford captured a 12-6 victory over Air Force.
In the Rankings...
In the latest national statistics compiled by Long Beach State (released Oct. 5), the Falcons rank in several categories. Sophomore Clark Condict ranks tied for 29th in total goals scored with 22 (an average of 1.8 goals per contest), while goalkeeper Denver Saunders is 18th in total saves with 71 (5.9 saves per game).
Meanwhile, as a team, Air Force ranks 22nd in goals per game at 7.3, while defensively the Falcons are 12th with 7.5 goals allowed per contest.
Up Next...
Following this weekend, the Falcons return to action Oct. 29-30, when they head to their final regular-season tournament of the year, the Aggie Shootout, hosted by WWPA rival UC Davis.
The Field...
This weekend's tournament includes 16 teams, 15 of which are currently ranked in the nation's top 20. Bracket A features top-ranked Cal, No. 8 Long Beach State, No. 9 Loyola Marymount and UC Santa Cruz. Bracket B includes No. 2 USC, No. 7 UC Irvine, No. 10 Pacific and No. 20 Santa Clara. Bracket C is comprised of third-ranked Stanford, No. 6 UC San Diego, No. 11 St. Francis and No. 19 Air Force, while Bracket D features No. 4 UCLA, No. 5 Pepperdine, No. 14 UC Davis and No. 15 UC Santa Barbara.
Last Time Out...
Air Force went 3-2 at its own East Meets West Tournament two weeks ago, defeating Iona, 11-7, in the third-place contest.
After opening the weekend with a 13-7 victory over WWPA opponent Occidental, the Falcons dropped tough contests to Brown (7-4) and ninth-ranked Loyola Marymount (12-7). Air Force then wrapped up the tournament by dealing Iona a pair of losses.
Sophomore Clark Condict was the Falcons' high scorer for the tournament, finishing the weekend with 10 goals and five assists, while junior Kyle Schafer, who was chosen as Air Force's representative on the all-tournament team, added eight scores and three assists. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Denver Saunders tallied 27 saves on the weekend.
Scouting the Cardinal...
The third-ranked Stanford Cardinal, which currently holds a record of 8-2, is coming off a 9-2 victory over 10th-ranked Pacific. The team's only two losses this season have been to top-ranked Cal and second-ranked USC.
The Cardinal, coached by John Vargas, is led by Thomas Hopkins, who has 23 goals on the season, while Peter Varellas has added 22 goals. Meanwhile, Sandy Hohener paces Stanford's goalkeepers with 47 saves on the season.
Series Record...
This weekend, Air Force and Stanford will meet for the 17th time, with the Cardinal holding a 16-0 all-time record against the Falcons. The teams have not faced each other since 2000, when Stanford captured a 12-6 victory over Air Force.
In the Rankings...
In the latest national statistics compiled by Long Beach State (released Oct. 5), the Falcons rank in several categories. Sophomore Clark Condict ranks tied for 29th in total goals scored with 22 (an average of 1.8 goals per contest), while goalkeeper Denver Saunders is 18th in total saves with 71 (5.9 saves per game).
Meanwhile, as a team, Air Force ranks 22nd in goals per game at 7.3, while defensively the Falcons are 12th with 7.5 goals allowed per contest.
Up Next...
Following this weekend, the Falcons return to action Oct. 29-30, when they head to their final regular-season tournament of the year, the Aggie Shootout, hosted by WWPA rival UC Davis.
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