Falcons Fall to No. 7 Long Beach State in Regular Season Finale
    Air Force heads to WWPA Championship Nov. 17-20

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    Nov. 6, 2011

    LONG BEACH, Calif. - In its final game of the regular season, the Air Force water polo team dropped a 12-7 road decision to seventh-ranked Long Beach State Sunday afternoon. Junior Cruz Smithson (Capistrano Beach, Calif.) scored two goals and an assist to lead the Falcons' offense against the 49ers.

    Long Beach State took a 3-1 lead at the end of the opening period, with junior Garrett Womack (Redlands, Calif.) tallying Air Force's lone score of the quarter. The 49ers' advantage grew to 5-2 in the second period, but consecutive scores from Jantz Johnson (Fr., Murrieta, Calif.) and Taque Patino (Sr., Rockford, Mich.) cut the Falcons' deficit to a single goal. However, Long Beach State scored the final goal of the half to take a 6-4 lead into the intermission.

    Air Force started out strong in the third period, getting a pair of goals from Smithson and Brad Rajchel (Jr., Winter Park, Fla.) to tie the game with 3:48 remaining in the quarter. Long Beach State had a quick response and scored four goals over the final three and a half minutes of the period to earn its largest lead of the game at 10-6.

    The 49ers' lead increased to five goals early in the final stanza, and although Smithson added a score halfway through the quarter, Long Beach State notched another goal to earn the 12-7 victory.

    With the regular season complete, the Falcons (8-16 overall) will next head to the Western Water Polo Association Championship, hosted by UC San Diego Nov. 17-20.

    No. 7 Long Beach State 12, Air Force 7
    Air Force     - 1 3 2 1 - 7
    LBSU     - 3 3 4 2 - 12

    AF Scoring:     Smithson 2, Womack, Hamilton, Johnson, Patino, Rajchel
    LBSU Scoring: Rascon 4, Mefford 3, Matulis 2, Schiefer 2, Petrovic

     

     

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