No. 20 Falcons Split Two Games at Slugfest Tournament

Sept. 28, 2008

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. - Going 1-1 on the second day of competition, the 20th-ranked Air Force water polo team wrapped up its weekend at the Slugfest Tournament Sunday, defeating Cal Lutheran, 7-4, before falling to No. 16 Redlands, 10-8. The Falcons move to 5-8 overall on the season and 5-2 in the Western Water Polo Association.

Air Force got out to a solid start against Cal Lutheran, taking a 4-0 lead after one period. Despite scoring just three goals in the final three periods, the Falcons' early advantage was too much to overcome for the Kingsmen in the 7-4 Air Force win.

Senior Kevin Williams (River Forest, Ill.) and sophomore Matt Versage (Merced, Calif.) led Air Force with two goals each against Cal Lutheran, while Bobby Geiger (So., Buellton, Calif.), Alex Churnside (Jr., Orange, Calif.) and Jack Hines (Jr., Riverside, Calif.) added one score each. Junior David Ostrom (Mission Viejo, Calif.) tallied 10 saves in the contest, while also recording two assists.

The Falcons also came out strong in their contest versus Redlands, hoping to avenge their lone conference loss of the season, a 13-7 defeat by the Bulldogs in the opening weekend of competition. Air Force held a 2-0 advantage over Redlands in the opening period of Sunday's contest, and held on to a one-goal margin at the half, leading 4-3.

Air Force extended its lead in the third quarter, going into the final period up 7-4. However, the Bulldogs, who knocked off No. 13 Santa Clara earlier on Sunday, rallied in the fourth quarter, tying the score at 8-8 with 3:43 remaining in regulation, before scoring two more goals to secure the win.

Versage was the Falcons' leading scorer with three goals, while Geiger and Williams added two goals each. Also scoring for Air Force was sophomore Kurt Lemmen (Orlando, Fla.) with the final goal. Once again, Ostrom put forth a solid effort in goal, tallying nine saves, while adding six steals.

The Falcons are back in action next weekend, Oct. 3-4, at the Claremont Convergence Tournament, hosted by WWPA rivals Claremont and Pomona-Pitzer.

No. 20 Air Force 7, Cal Lutheran 4
Cal Lutheran 0 2 1 1 4
Air Force 4 1 1 1 7
CLU Scoring: N/A
AF Scoring: Williams 2, Versage 2, Geiger, Churnside, Hines

No. 16 Redlands 10, No. 20 Air Force 8
Redlands 0 3 1 6 10
Air Force 2 2 3 1 8
Redlands Scoring: N/A
AF Scoring: Versage 3, Geiger 2, Williams 2, Lemmen

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