Air Force Completes 5-0 Weekend With Three Wins In Day Two Of Rare Air Invite

USAF ACADEMY, Colo. - Air Force men's water polo won all three of its games in day two action as the host of the 2025 Rare Air Invitational on Sunday at the Cadet Natatorium. The Falcons defeated Augustana 17-10, Whittier 24-17 and UC Merced, 20-9, to improve to 10-1 on the season and run its win streak to six games.

The 10-1 start matches the 1977 and 2021 teams for the quickest to 10 wins in a season.

In the morning opener against Augustana, 11 Falcons scored in the 17-10 win. Air Force led 4-3 after the first quarter, then out-scored Augustana 6-2 in the second to lead 10-5 at the half. A 4-2 advantage has the Falcons up 14-7 in the third. The teams were even 3-3 in goals in the fourth.

Sophomore Brady Kopperud and junior Tom Leggett led the Falcons with six points each. Kopperud scored four goals and added two assists. Leggett scored three goals and dished out three assists. With his first-goal of the game, Leggett reached 300 career goals, becoming just the second player in program history to reach the number.

Freshman Blake Fuschlin and junior Jack Richards added three points each. Fuschlin had a goal and two assists and Richards had two goals and an assist.

Senior Luca Smith had one save in 16 minutes in front of the net. Sophomore Jay Pyle played the third quarter and had four saves. Freshman Bode Farren played the fourth, recording one steal.

In the second game against Whittier College, the Falcons opened with a 10-1 first quarter and held off a late charge by the Poets. Thirteen different Falcons scored in the win.

The Falcons led 14-6 at the half, but eight third quarter goals by Whittier made it a 20-14 game after three. The Falcons out-scored the Poets 4-3 in the fourth to hold off the late charge.

Leggett led the Falcons with five goals and eight points. Richards scored five points on two goals and three assists. Senior Jake Dixon and Vander Veen added four points, with Dixon netting four goals and Vander Veen tallying three assists. Freshmen Blake Fuschlin and Max Ellis chipped-in with three points each, with Fuschlin scoring a goal and two assists and Ellis scoring two goals and an assist.

Pyle went the distance in goal for the Falcons, notching seven saves.

In the finale against UC Merced, Air Force reached 20 goals for the fifth time this season, as a dominant second-half propelled the team to the win. Leading 11-8 at the half, the Falcons out-scored the Bobcats 6-0 in the third and 3-1 in the fourth to pull away. Air Force held UC Merced scoreless for exactly 15 straight minutes from the 1:24 mark in the second quarter till the 2:24 mark in the fourth.

Twelve Falcons got into the scoring column, with Leggett leading the way with four goals and three assists for seven points. Richards and Vander Veen scored five points each, with Richards scoring four goals and one assist and Vander Veen scoring a goal and adding four assists.

Smith had six saves in three quarter in goal. Farren relieved Smith in the fourth, and allowed just one goal with four saves.

Air Force returns to action next weekend, Fri.-Sat, Sept. 12-13, at the Cal State Fullerton Titan Invitational in Fullerton, Calif.

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