Falcons Fall To #13 San Jose State at WCC Tournament

STOCKTON, Calif. – Third-seeded and 13th-ranked San José State (16-6) powered past Air Force (13-20) by a final score of 16-4 Friday afternoon in the opening round of the West Coast Conference Men's Water Polo Tournament at Chris Kjeldsen Pool at Douglass M. Eberhardt Aquatics Center. The first half was a defensive slugfest between the Spartans and Falcons, with San José State taking a 7-2 lead to the break.

The Spartans prevented the Falcons from imitating anything on offense throughout the day. San José State held down a usually efficient Air Force attack to one goal per quarter and would not look back over the course of the match. The Spartans had their foot on the gas from the start, starting with stalwart goalie Brendon Gyapjas. Gyapjas, who set the WCC Tournament record with 19 saves in a game last year, had a whopping 15 saves through three quarters on Friday, before resting the fourth period. He wreaked havoc all throughout his time in the cage.

Eight Spartans got their name on to the score sheet in what became a balanced attack for San José State. Maro Tiozzo led the team with four assists and Mateja Bosic had four goals as the primary attackers. San José State shot an efficient 16-for-34 (47.1%) in the pool and had control from the first sprint.

Air Force had trouble scoring past the Spartans defense. The Falcons, who shot 4-for-28 (14.3%), could not covert on the power play (0-for-12), and superstar and single-season program record holder Tom Leggett was held scoreless.

The Falcons cap the 2024 season with a 13-20 overall record and 1-5 mark in WCC play.

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