Falcons place 14th at Mountain Pacific Invitational

Sept. 24, 2017

U.S AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. - The Air Force water polo team posted a 1-3 record and placed 14th in the annual Mountain Pacific Invitational, Sunday, Sept. 24, in Los Angeles, Calif.

In the second game of the tournament, the Falcons fell to No. 8 UC Davis, 17-8. The game was tied at 2-2 after the first quarter, but the Aggies jumped in front with seven goals in the second and led 9-5 at the half. Each team scored three in the third, but five goals by UC Davis in fourth allowed the Aggies to pull away. Luke Andres scored three goals for the Falcons while Riley Thomas scored two. Freshman goalie James Burke made a career best 12 saves.

Air Force (2-8 overall) earned its second win of the season with a 9-7 victory over No. 20 Loyola Marymount. Air Force took the early lead as Thomas and Mike Miller scored in the first quarter. After a goal by LMU, Andres and Garrett Fisk gave the Falcons a 4-1 lead in the second. The Lions scored two late goals in the second as the Falcons had a 4-3 lead at the half. The teams traded goals early in the second half and then Jack Empey's goal with 1:16 left in the third gave the Falcons a 7-5 lead. LMU tied the game midway through the fourth. Thomas, the senior team captain, then took the game over. He netted the game winner with 2:13 left and then sealed the win with 24 seconds left. Thomas led the team with three goals while Empey and Miller each added two. Burke made seven saves.

In the final game of the tournament, the Falcons fell to San Jose State, 9-6, on Sunday, Sept. 24. SJSU raced out to a 5-0 lead in the first quarter, but the Falcons battled back. Thomas, Fisk and Ryan Dorris all scored in the second as the Falcons trailed 5-3 at the half. After a goal by Andres and two more by Fisk, the Falcons cut the SJSU lead to 7-6 at the end of the third. The Spartans outscored the Falcons, 2-0, in the fourth for the victory in the 13^th-place game of the tournament. Burke made eight saves for the Falcons.

Air Force hosts its first home game of the season on Saturday, Sept. 30, as the Falcons will meet two-time defending Western Water Polo Association champion UC Davis, in a conference game at noon MT at the Cadet Natatorium.

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