Sunday, February 14
USAFA, CO
10:00 am MT
Air Force Academy
15
vs
16
California Baptist University
CBU rallies for 16-15 win over Air Force
2/14/2021 12:44:00 PM | Men's Water Polo
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. – Seventh-ranked California Baptist scored three straight goals in the fourth quarter and held on for a 16-15 win over ninth-ranked Air Force in a non-conference water polo game, Sunday, Feb. 14, at the Academy's Cadet Natatorium. The Lancers won two of the three games over the weekend, but Air Force won the conference game on Feb. 13 to clinch the top seed in the Wester Water Polo Association Championships.
CBU (4-3 overall, 0-2 WWPA) scored the first two goals of the game, but three straight by Campbell Harris, Corey Tanis and Sam Fuller gave the Falcons a 3-2 lead. CBU scored the next two for a 4-3 lead at the end of the first. Grant Snyder tied the game early in the second and then Alex Hirjoi gave the Falcons a 5-4 lead. Two goals by the Lancers and one more by Harris left the game tied at 6-6 at the half.
Air Force (4-5 overall, 2-0 WWPA) built a 10-8 lead as Hirjoi scored two and Snyder netted one. CBU took an 11-10 lead, but Gavin Jones and Harris scored as the game was tied at 12-12 at the end of three quarters. Jones and Henry Yavitt gave the Falcons a 14-13 lead with 5:24 left, but the Lancers answered with three straight as Zach Lowery scored two and Hunter Barnett added one for a 16-14 lead with 1:55 left. Snyder scored with 1:35 left and the Falcons forced a turnover with a minute remaining, trailing by one. CBU goalie Tristan Felberg made a save with 40 seconds remaining and a long shot by the Falcons at the buzzer was high.
Snyder, Harris and Hirjoi all had three goals for the Falcons. Harris led the Falcons with 10 goals on the weekend. Snyder had five points in the game and 14 on the weekend. Yavitt and Jones each had two goals in the series finale. Anthony Tolbert made five saves, had one assist and one steal.
"They are a fantastic team," head coach Ryan Brown said. "All these games were close and came right down to the end. We have to do a better job in 6-on-5 situations. Credit their goalie, he made some big saves, but we have to be able to put shots away. We have some things we need to work on before the next couple weeks."
Air Force is now off until a pair of non-conference games at California Baptist, Feb. 26, and then a single game at Pepperdine on Feb. 27.
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CBU (4-3 overall, 0-2 WWPA) scored the first two goals of the game, but three straight by Campbell Harris, Corey Tanis and Sam Fuller gave the Falcons a 3-2 lead. CBU scored the next two for a 4-3 lead at the end of the first. Grant Snyder tied the game early in the second and then Alex Hirjoi gave the Falcons a 5-4 lead. Two goals by the Lancers and one more by Harris left the game tied at 6-6 at the half.
Air Force (4-5 overall, 2-0 WWPA) built a 10-8 lead as Hirjoi scored two and Snyder netted one. CBU took an 11-10 lead, but Gavin Jones and Harris scored as the game was tied at 12-12 at the end of three quarters. Jones and Henry Yavitt gave the Falcons a 14-13 lead with 5:24 left, but the Lancers answered with three straight as Zach Lowery scored two and Hunter Barnett added one for a 16-14 lead with 1:55 left. Snyder scored with 1:35 left and the Falcons forced a turnover with a minute remaining, trailing by one. CBU goalie Tristan Felberg made a save with 40 seconds remaining and a long shot by the Falcons at the buzzer was high.
Snyder, Harris and Hirjoi all had three goals for the Falcons. Harris led the Falcons with 10 goals on the weekend. Snyder had five points in the game and 14 on the weekend. Yavitt and Jones each had two goals in the series finale. Anthony Tolbert made five saves, had one assist and one steal.
"They are a fantastic team," head coach Ryan Brown said. "All these games were close and came right down to the end. We have to do a better job in 6-on-5 situations. Credit their goalie, he made some big saves, but we have to be able to put shots away. We have some things we need to work on before the next couple weeks."
Air Force is now off until a pair of non-conference games at California Baptist, Feb. 26, and then a single game at Pepperdine on Feb. 27.
--30--
Players Mentioned
AT
/ Men's Water Polo
C
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UT
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C/D
/ Men's Water Polo
UT
/ Men's Water Polo
C
/ Men's Water Polo
G
/ Men's Water Polo
AT
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