Air Force Academy
Cal Lutheran
No. 15 Air Force Downs Cal Lutheran, 14-5
10/4/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Oct. 4, 2009
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. -
Wrapping up a five-game weekend on the road, the 15th-ranked Air Force water polo team defeated Cal Lutheran, 14-5, Sunday morning in a Western Water Polo Association match-up. With the victory, the Falcons move to 8-8 overall on the season and 6-2 in the WWPA.
The game started out slow for both teams, with the score knotted at 1-1 after one period. However, the Falcons exploded offensively in the second period, tallying five unanswered goals to take a 6-1 lead at the half. Air Force never looked back, extending its advantage to seven goals after three quarters before securing the 14-5 victory.
The Falcons were led by a balanced offense, with nine different players getting on the board. Cruz Smithson (Fr., Capistrano Beach, Calif.), Bobby Geiger (Jr., Buellton, Calif.), Jack Hines (Sr., Riverside, Calif.), Matt Shields (Jr., Gilroy, Calif.) and Dan Nelson (So., Westlake Village, Calif.) all registered two goals each, while Taque Patino (So., Rockford, Mich.), Andrew Strawbridge (Jr., San Jose, Calif.), Kurt Wallin (Jr., Temecula, Calif.) and Charley Ford (Jr., Clovis, Calif.) each added a goal.
Splitting time in the goal for Air Force were senior David Ostrom (Mission Viejo, Calif.) and sophomore Danny Harold (Corona del Mar, Calif.). Ostrom notched four saves, three steals and an assist in the first three periods of action, while Harold recorded four fourth-quarter stops.
The Falcons are off next weekend, but are back in action Oct. 17-18, when they head to Annapolis, Md., to face four East Coast teams. Air Force will take on host Navy and Iona on the first day of action, before meeting George Washington and Johns Hopkins on the second day of competition.
No. 15 Air Force 14, Cal Lutheran 5
Air Force 1 5 4 4 14
Cal Lutheran 1 0 2 2 5
AF Scoring: Smithson 2, Geiger 2, Hines 2, Shields 2, Nelson 2, Patino, Strawbridge, Wallin, Ford
CLU Scoring: N/A
Players Mentioned
