#20 Air Force Sweeps Both Games In Day One of Inland Empire Classic

20th-ranked Air Force men's water polo (5-1) won both of its games in day one competition Saturday at the Inland Empire Classic in Redlands, Calif. The Falcons defeated Occidental, 15-9, to open the day and then won 22-10 in the nightcap against Whittier.

Air Force had its hands full early in the Occidental game, falling behind 4-0 after one quarter of play. The Falcons out-scored the Tigers 4-2 in the second, but trailed 6-4 at halftime.

Air Force pulled past Occidental in the third, as a 5-2 scoring advantage in the quarter put the team up 9-8. The Falcons pulled away in the fourth with a 6-1 scoring run to close out the game. Freshman Jack Richards had a career-high four goals and five points to lead the way. Seniors Ian Christie and Cole Kopperud added four points each with Christie notching a goal and three assists and Kopperud tallying two goals and two assists. Sophomore Luca Smith had five saves and two steals in goal for the win.

Against Whittier, the Falcons wasted little time in getting to work, going up 7-1 after one quarter of play. The offense continued to roll with seven more goals in the second quarter to put Air Force ahead 14-6 at the half. After two goals in the third quarter, the Falcons put up six more in the fourth.

Junior David Brown led the Falcons with three goals and two assists for five points. Freshman Alex Zarcu had four goals and freshman Owen Imasaki notched a hat-trick with three goals. Sophomore Matthew Kwon scored four points with two goals and two assists. Freshman Jonah Vander Veen had three points with a goal and two assists. Junior Liam Markus had nine saves in goal for the win.

"It was a good first day for our first trip," head coach Ryan Brown said. "We learned a lot about being on the road and being in a different environment. Lots of people contributed in both games. We started slow vs Occidental but the subs got us balanced and then were able to start playing our game. Looking forward to tomorrow against two tough opponents in hostile territory. We will see what we are made of."

Air Force returns to action at the tournament tomorrow, Sunday, Sept. 10, taking on Cal State Fullerton at 9:25 am PT and host Redlands at 2:30 pm.

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