Air Force Academy

Sept. 24, 2006

USAFA, Colo. - Playing its second-straight game against a top-10 team, the No. 17 Air Force water polo team fell short of the victory, dropping to eighth-ranked UC Davis, 7-5, Sunday morning at the Cadet Natatorium. With the loss, the Falcons fall to 8-6 on the season, 4-1 in the WWPA, while the Aggies improve to 5-6, 2-2 in the conference.

Both teams were slow to start, with the Aggies getting on board first, scoring at the 2:20 mark in the opening period. Another UC Davis goal less than a minute later gave the Aggies a 2-0 advantage at the end of the first quarter. However, the Falcons responded, getting their first goal of the game on a man-up score by sophomore Joey Brewer (Clovis, Calif.). An outlet pass from senior captain Danny Kimmich (La Jolla, Calif.) to Justin Berry (Jr., Windermere, Fla.) gave Air Force its second goal less than a minute before intermission, and the teams went into the half tied at 2-2.

It didn't take long for UC Davis to score in the third period, as they regained their lead just 14 seconds into the quarter. Another score put the Aggies up by two before Kimmich drew an ejection of UC Davis goalkeeper Mike McGee to set up a score by senior Kyle Schafer (Irvine, Calif.). However, the Aggies closed the quarter with another goal to once more increase its advantage to two points.

Schafer's second goal with just under six minutes to play cut the Falcons' deficit to one, but UC Davis' David Welch answered with a pair of scores in less than a minute to give the Aggies their biggest lead of the game. Despite numerous opportunities for the Falcons, Air Force could not get back on the board until another goal from Berry with just 47 seconds remaining. Unfortunately, it was not enough, as the Falcons fell, 7-5.

No. 8 UC Davis 7, No. 17 Air Force 5
UC Davis    2   0   3   2   7
Air Force   0   2   1   2   5
UCD Scoring: MacLachlan 2, Welch 2, Kurth, Bacharach, Muenter
AF Scoring: Schafer 2, Berry 2, Brewer