No. 16 Falcons Set To Host East Meets West Tournament
9/26/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Sept. 26, 2007
The 16th-ranked Air Force water polo team is back in action this weekend, Sept. 29-30, as it hosts the East Meets West Tournament, featuring No. 15 Pacific, No. 19 Cal Baptist and Cal Lutheran. The Falcons will play all three teams before moving into either the third-place game or championship contest on Sunday.
The Schedule...
Saturday, Sept. 299:00 a.m. Air Force vs. Pacific10:30 a.m. Cal Baptist vs. Cal Lutheran3:00 p.m. Cal Baptist vs. Pacific5:00 p.m. Air Force vs. Cal Lutheran
Sunday, Sept. 308:00 a.m. Air Force vs. Cal Baptist9:30 a.m. Pacific vs. Cal Lutheran1:00 p.m. Third Place Game2:30 p.m. Championship Game
Head Coach Jeff Ehrlich...
Head coach Jeff Ehrlich is in his ninth season at the helm of the Air Force water polo program. He came to the Academy in 1999 after a 25-year stint at Villa Park High School in Orange County, Calif.
Since his arrival at Air Force, Ehrlich has led the team to a combined 119-121 overall record. Additionally, the Falcons have been nationally ranked in the top 20 at the end of seven of Ehrlich's eight seasons, with a best final ranking of 13th in 1999.
Last Time Out...
Two weeks ago, the Falcons compiled a 1-3 record at the NorCal Open, finishing in 14th place. After dropping contests to second-ranked host Cal and 11th-ranked WWPA foe Loyola Marymount, Air Force rebounded with an 11-4 victory over conference rival Santa Clara. However, the weekend ended with a loss to service academy rival Navy, then ranked 10th in the nation.
Senior Clark Condict was the Falcons' leading scorer with nine goals and an assist.
Scouting the Falcons...
The Air Force Falcons, currently ranked 16th, enter this weekend with a 4-7 overall record and 2-3 mark in the WWPA.
Senior captains Clark Condict and Justin Berry pace the Falcons with 24 and 22 goals, respectively, on the season. Meanwhile, sophomore goalkeeper David Ostrom has tallied 85 saves on the year.
Scouting the Tigers...
The Pacific Tigers, ranked 15th in the nation, currently hold a 3-7 record and will play second-ranked Cal before heading to the East Meets West Tournament.
Pacific is coached by Mike Maroney, in his fifth season at the helm of the program. Dragan Bakic leads the Tigers with 31 goals on the season, while Duje Kaurloto has added 20 scores on the year.
Scouting the Kingsmen...
The Cal Lutheran Kingsmen, the newest additions to the WWPA, enter this weekend with a 5-4 overall record. The Kingsmen went 4-1 at their own CLU Tournament, led by sophomore Matt Heagy with 15 goals.
Cal Lutheran is coached by Craig Rond, in his fifth season at the helm of the program.
Scouting the Lancers...
The Cal Baptist Lancers, ranked 19th in the nation, currently hold a 12-6 overall record and will play Claremont before traveling out to the Academy for this weekend's tournament. The Lancers are currently on a 10-game winning streak.
Cal Baptist is coached by Rick Rowland, now in his ninth season at the helm of the program. Josh Harris is the leading scorer for the Lancers with 40 goals on the season.
Series Records...
This weekend, Air Force and Pacific will meet for the 30th time in the all-time series, with the Tigers holding a 23-6 advantage. The two teams met twice last season, with Pacific capturing wins in both contests.
This weekend marks the first-ever meeting between Air Force and Cal Lutheran, the newest member of the WWPA.
Air Force and Cal Baptist have met 15 times before, with the Falcons holding a 9-6 advantage in the series. The Falcons have won four in a row against the Lancers, including a pair of games last season.
In The Rankings...
A trio of Air Force water polo players are currently listed in the conference and national rankings. Senior Clark Condict ranks third in the WWPA and 16th in the nation in total goals (24) on the season, while fellow captain Justin Berry ranks fourth and 18th, respectively, in the same category with 22 goals. Meanwhile, sophomore goalkeeper David Ostrom is fourth in the conference in total saves (85) on the season, while ranking seventh nationally.
Moving Up in the Record Books...
Senior Clark Condict continues to move up on the Falcons' list of all-time leading scorers. Entering the season in 23rd place with 160 points, Condict now sits in 15th place in the record books with 191 points (131 goals, 60 assists). Condict could break into the top 10 by season's end.
Up Next...
The Falcons head to Davis, Calif., next week, Oct. 6-7, for the annual Aggie Shootout, hosted by WWPA rival UC Davis.
