No. 20 Falcons Close Out Competition at NorCal Tournament

Sept. 18, 2011

STOCKTON, Calif. -

The 20th-ranked Air Force water polo team split a pair of games on Sunday to place 14th at the NorCal Tournament, hosted by Pacific. The Falcons took an 11-9 victory over Vanguard in their first game of the day, while dropping a 16-9 decision to No. 9 Long Beach State in the 13th-place contest.

In its game against Vanguard, Air Force played to a 3-3 tie after one period, but trailed 8-6 following a high scoring second quarter. The Falcons rallied after the break, coming back to tie the game at 9-9 with 1:34 remaining in the third period. Shutting the Lions out in the final stanza, Air Force found the back of the net twice more in the fourth quarter to take the two-goal victory.

Juniors Dillon Fisher (Orange, Calif.) and Cruz Smithson (Capistrano Beach, Calif.) led Air Force with three goals each, while Josh Stedman (So., Brea, Calif.) pitched in two scores.

With its win against Vanguard, Air Force moved into the 13th place contest against ninth-ranked Long Beach State. Paced by a six-goal second period, the 49ers got out to a large advantage at the end of the first half, leading 9-3. While the scoring was more balanced after the break, the Falcons could not get any closer, dropping the 16-9 decision.

Smithson was Air Force's leading scorer against Long Beach State, tallying his second hat trick of the day, while Stedman added two goals.

The Falcons are back in action on Friday, Sept. 23. for their first home game of the season, as they host conference rival UC San Diego.

No. 20 Air Force 11, Vanguard 9

Air Force	2	4	3	2	11
Vanguard	2	6	1	0	9

AF Scoring: Fisher 3, Smithson 3, Stedman 2, Womack, Hamilton, Rajchel

Vanguard Scoring: Burzynski 2, Cobarrubius 2, Lee 2, R. McKittrick 2, Buckalew

No. 10 Long Beach State 16, No. 20 Air Force 9

Air Force	2	1	2	4	9
LBSU	3	6	3	4	16

AF Scoring: Smithson 3, Stedman 2, Hamilton, Patino, Jackovich, Fisher

LBSU Scoring: Petrovic 5, Fabian 2, Matulis 2, Robinson 2, Leach, Mefford, Rascon, Schiefer, Vrzic

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