Air Force Goes 2-0 In Day One At Inland Empire Classic

Air Force men's water polo earned a pair of one-goal victories in day one action at the Inland Empire Classic, held at the Thompson Aquatic center on the Redlands University campus in Redlands, Calif. The Falcons earned a 14-13 win over Occidental (0-2) and a 10-9 win over host Redlands (2-4) to improve to 6-2 on the season.

In the opener against Occidental, a big third quarter helped lift the Falcons to the win. Leading 8-6 after two quarters of play, Air Force utilized a 4-1 scoring advantage to build to a 12-7 lead. Occidental rallied in the fourth, by Kito Ham's goal with 1:07 to play was the difference.

Grant Snyder, the most recent WWPA Player of the Week, led the Falcons with four goals and three assists. Jake Dixon and Sam De La Cruz added two goals each. Ian Christie had three assists and Jacob Yi also chipped in with two assists. AJ Kuypers had 18 saves in goal for the Falcons.

In the nightcap against Redlands, a goal by Larsen McCarroll with 2:07 to play helped rally Air Force to the win. The Falcons trailed Redlands 5-4 after two quarters, but a 5-3 third quarter put them ahead 9-8. Scoring was at a premium in the final quarter as the teams traded one goal each.

Air Force got two goals each against Redlands from Snyder, Christie and Jackson Carter. Dylan Sinclair led the team with three assists and Cole Kopperud added two assists. Kuypers got the win in goal with seven saves.

"We battled hard and finished well each game," head coach Ryan Brown said. "Occidental and Redlands played well and were ready to play. We were able to convert down the stretch of both games. Tomorrow we have to be better in several areas of the game as we are playing two more really tough and well coached teams."

The Falcons return to action with day two action at the Inland Empire Classic. Air Force takes on Pomona Pitzer at 10:30 am PT and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 3 pm PT in Claremont, Calif.

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