Air Force men’s water polo opened play at the Cal State Fullerton Titan Invitational on Friday by splitting two matches at the Fullerton Aquatics Center in Fullerton, California. The Falcons started with a 20-17 win over Chapman before losing to No. 18 Brown, 18-15, ending their seven-game winning streak and bringing their season record to 11-2.
In the first match against Chapman, Air Force gained control with an 8-3 scoring advantage in the second quarter, leading 11-6 at halftime. Chapman narrowed the gap with a 7-5 third quarter, but Air Force maintained its lead by matching Chapman’s four goals in the fourth quarter.
Junior Jack Richards led Air Force with a career-high eight points, tallying four goals and four assists. Junior Jonah Vander Veen contributed six assists. Sophomore Brady Kopperud scored three goals and added an assist for four points. Junior Tom Leggett had two goals and two assists.
Senior Luca Smith made six saves as starting goalkeeper before sophomore Jay Pyle took over in the second half, also making six saves.
In their second game of the day, Air Force played a close contest against Brown. After tying 4-4 in the first quarter, Brown edged ahead with a 5-3 run in the second for a 9-7 halftime lead. The Falcons closed to within one goal in the third quarter after freshman Max Ellis tied it at 11-11, but Brown responded with three straight goals and held on for an 18-15 victory.
Leggett again led Air Force scorers with six points from four goals and two assists. Vander Veen followed with two goals and two assists for four points. Richards, Kopperud, and junior Owen Imasaki each had three points; Imasaki scored twice and assisted once while Richards and Kopperud both finished with one goal and two assists each.
Smith played all four quarters as goalkeeper against Brown, recording 12 saves.
Air Force is scheduled to continue tournament play Saturday against Concordia-Irvine.
