Air Force travels to SoCal Tournament

This Week: Air Force (7-4 overall) travels to Los Angeles, Calif., for the annual SoCal Invitational, Sept. 27-29 on the campuses of UCLA and Loyola Marymount. The three-day, 16-team tournament features 13 of the top 15 in the nation. A total of 32 matches will be played, with the final rounds taking place at UCLA's Spieker Aquatics Center on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Right Out of the Gate: The Falcons will open tournament play on Friday, Sept. 27, against third-ranked Stanford, at 1 pm PT. at Loyola Marymount. Air Force will then face either No. 8 Long Beach State or No. 9 UC Davis on Saturday, Sept. 28. The Falcons will play two games on Saturday and then one game on Sunday.

The Series: Air Force and Stanford will meet for the 22^nd time and Cardinal holds a 21-0 lead in the series that began in 1975. The teams last met in 2012 and Stanford, ranked fourth in the nation at the time of the game, won 14-3. Stanford ended the season ranked third in the nation. Air Force won the WWPA that season and competed in the NCAA Tournament, falling to eventual national champion, USC, in the semifinals and St. Francis (N.Y.) in the third-place game.

Last Weekend: Air Force posted a 3-1 record in the Rare Air 2- Air Force Invitational, Sept. 21-22, at the Cadet Natatorium. In the first game, Air Force defeated Lindenwood in an exhibition game, 15-8. Grant Snyder and Neil Reynolds each scored in the final quarter for the win. In the second game of the day, the Falcons held off a second-half surge by No. 20 Brown for the 14-12 win. With the score tied at 12-12, Snyder scored with 53 seconds remaining. With under 20 seconds left, a shot by the Bears was deflected off a Falcon defender and went wide of the cage. Henry Yavitt then added an insurance goal with one second left. Pittman led the Falcons with a season high four goals while Snyder added three. On the final day, the Falcons battled ninth-ranked Long Beach State, but came up just short in a 12-9 loss to the Beach. Campbell Harris and Luke Andres each scored two goals. Falcon goalie Anthony Tolbert made 12 saves in the game. In the final game, the Falcons used a big fourth quarter to pull away from Chapman for a 21-13 win. Leading 13-11, the Falcons scored seven unanswered goals in the fourth quarter. Mike Miller led the way with six goals.
Reagan Pittman led the Falcons with seven assists and 12 points in the tournament (excluding the Lindenwood exhibition game). Miller had eight goals and two assists and was a perfect 11-0 in sprints. Grant Snyder and Campbell Harris each had six goals. Tolbert made 21 saves in three games.

Four Losses, All Ranked: Air Force's four losses this season have all come against teams ranked in the top 15 in the nation. George Washington was ranked 15^th when the Colonials defeated the Falcons, 20-16, in the season opener, Sept. 7. At the Inland Empire Tournament, the Falcons fell to No.9 Long Beach State and No. 8 Pepperdine. Last weekend, Air Force battled ninth-ranked Long Beach close, before falling, 12-9.

The Helping Hand: Senior Reagan Pittman leads the nation with 33 assists this season. Pittman also ranks second in the conference with 39 points. He has two or more assists in eight of the 12 games this season, including a career-best six in wins over La Verne and Chapman. In the win over Brown, he had a career-high four goals. Pittman also leads the team with 13 steals and seven field blocks this season.

The Water Cheetah: Senior Mike Miller's speed has gained Air Force the first possession more times than not. Miller leads the nation with 33 sprint victories this season. UC Davis' Max Somple is second in the nation with 16 sprint wins. Miller is 33-5 in sprints this season, and his .815 winning percentage is the best in the conference (among players who have more than six sprints). Miller is also second in the league in goals scored with 24, including a career-high six in the win over Chapman.

Between the Pipes: Both junior James Burke and sophomore Anthony Tolbert have seen action between the pipes this season. Burke leads the team with five wins this season. Tolbert has won two games and leads the team, and ranks fourth in the conference, with 76 saves. He played all four games in the Rare Air 2 Invitational and played every minute of the last two games. He made a season-high 12 saves against No. 8 Long Beach State.

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Players Mentioned

Luke Andres

James Burke

Campbell Harris

Mike Miller

Reagan Pittman

Neil Reynolds

Grant Snyder

Anthony Tolbert

Henry Yavitt

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