Air Force Goes 3-0 Saturday At Rare Air Invite

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Air Force men's water polo (16-4) won all three of its games in day one action at the Rare Air Invite, held Saturday at the USAFA Cadet Natatorium. The Falcons defeated Biola 15-8, Ottawa (Ariz.) 17-14, and Long Island 12-6 to extend its win streak to seven games.

In the opener against Biola, which was also the WWPA opener, the scoring was limited early, as Air Force took a 2-1 lead after a quarter of play. The Falcons then erupted for six goals in the second to jump ahead 8-2. Air Force out-scored Biola 7-6 in the second half to roll to the win.

Kaito Ham led the Falcons with four goals and an assist. Jake Dixon and Grant Snyder recorded hat-tricks with three goals each. Luca Smith had 10 saves in goal for the win.

Against OUAZ, a fast start helped lift Air Force to a 17-14 win. The Falcons outscored the Spirit 5-2 in the first quarter and never looked back. Snyder scored five goals and had two assists to lead the scoring effort. Ian Christie, Jake Dixon and Joey Schell scored two goals each. Christie added four assists. Smith had seven saves in the win.

In the nightcap against LIU, the Falcons rolled to a 12-6 win. The Falcons went ahead 4-1 in the first quarter and led 8-4 at the half. Air Force played lock-down defense in the second half, allowing just two scores. Bruce Kim led the Falcons with four goals. Matthew Kwon and Colin Chase added two goals each. Joe Sabo picked up the win in front of the net, tallying 10 saves.

Snyder finished the day with 13 points (seven goals and six assists) and moved into third place all-time in points with 329. He surpassed Brian Pendergast (1993-96), who has 317 career points.

"We played well today, matching our opponent's energy," head coach Ryan Brown said. "Offensively, we keep stressing the extra pass and we did a decent job of that today. We still have to be better on the extra man opportunities, but in the end came away with three wins today."

Air Force closes out the Rare Air Invite with two games tomorrow, Sept. 25. The Falcons take on Augustana at 10:30 am MT and Long Island at 3 pm.

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