Falcons Close Out Home Slate Against #19 St. Francis
10/26/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Water Polo
Oct. 26, 2011
The Air Force water polo team closes out its home slate this weekend, Oct. 29-30, with a pair of contests against 19th-ranked St. Francis. Saturday's game is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m., while Sunday's contest is scheduled for an 11:00 a.m. start.
LAST TIME OUT...
The Falcons went winless at The Rodeo last weekend, falling to 15th-ranked host Santa Clara, Brown, No. 12 UC Davis and third-ranked Stanford.
Junior Cruz Smithson led the Falcons' offense with 11 goals in the last three games of the weekend, including a game-high five scores against Brown. Sophomore Josh Stedman added five goals and an assist on the weekend, while junior Dillon Fisher notched a goal and a team-best five assists in the tournament.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS...
The Air Force Falcons, receiving votes in this week's coaches poll, enter this weekend with a 5-14 overall record, including a 3-7 mark in the Western Water Polo Association.
Junior Cruz Smithson leads the Falcons' offense with 41 points on the season, including a team-best 34 goals. Meanwhile, classmate Dillon Fisher is second on the team with 34 points, leading the team with 26 assists on the year.
SCOUTING THE TERRIERS...
The St. Francis Terriers, ranked 19th in the latest coaches poll, currently hold a 10-7 overall record and have won their last seven contests. The Terriers were last in action on Oct. 15, earning wins over Harvard (13-5) and MIT (13-3).
St. Francis is coached by Igor Samardzija, in his third season at the head of the program. Junior Marko Gencic has a team-high 59 points (29 goals, 30 assists), while senior Aleksandar Pantic is the Terriers' leading goal scorer with 36 goals on the season.
SERIES RECORDS...
Air Force and St. Francis have played each other just five times before, with the Terriers holding a 4-1 edge in the series. The two teams last met in the 2009 season, with St. Francis winning two of three games, including one of two played at the Academy.
UP NEXT...
Air Force wraps up the regular season with three games next week, Nov. 4-6. The Falcons visit conference foes Whittier and Pomona-Pitzer on Friday and Saturday, respectively, while traveling to Long Beach State on Sunday.
