Air Force Academy

Oct. 21, 2009

The 15th-ranked Air Force water polo team heads to Santa Clara, Calif., this weekend, Oct. 24-25, to take part in The Rodeo. The Falcons will play 13th-ranked UC Davis at noon (PT) Saturday, followed by a contest against Brown at 4:00 p.m. On Sunday, Air Force plays 19th-ranked St. Francis at 9:20 a.m., before wrapping up the weekend against the 16th-ranked host Broncos at 2:40 p.m.

Last Time Out...
Air Force went 3-1 in four East Coast games last weekend, defeating Iona, George Washington and Johns Hopkins, while dropping a close 12-10 contest to 13th-ranked Navy.

Junior Bobby Geiger helped lead the Falcons' offense for the weekend, recording 10 goals and an assist, including a five-goal, one-assist performance in an 11-10 victory over Johns Hopkins. Meanwhile, senior Alex Churnside added five goals, six assists and seven steals in the four games.

Scouting the Falcons...
The Air Force Falcons, ranked 15th in this week's national poll, enter this weekend with a 12-9 overall record and 6-2 mark in the Western Water Polo Association.

Junior Bobby Geiger is the Falcons' leading scorer with 61 total points on the season, including a team-high 47 goals. Senior Alex Churnside, who ranks second on the team in total points (56), has tallied a team-best 33 assists on the year, while freshman Cruz Smithson ranks second on the team in goals (33) and third in points (45).

In the WWPA Rankings...
Several Air Force players currently rank among the top-10 statistical leaders in the Western Water Polo Association. Junior Bobby Geiger leads the way, ranking third in the conference in total goals (47) and eighth in goals per game (2.24).

In addition, senior goalkeeper David Ostrom ranks ninth in the conference in saves per game (7.93).

Scouting the Aggies...
The UC Davis Aggies, ranked 13th in the latest national poll, enter this weekend with a 10-9 overall record and 8-5 mark in the WWPA. The Aggies are coming off a 12th-place finish at the UCI Invitational two weeks ago, where they fell to UC Santa Barbara, Navy and UC San Diego, while defeating Bucknell.

UC Davis is coached by Steve Doten, in his ninth year at the helm of the program. Senior Jim Breen leads a balanced offense for the Aggies with 20 goals on the season, while Cory Lyle and Colin Hicks have added 19 and 17 goals, respectively. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Kevin Peat has notched 140 saves on the season.

Scouting the Bears...
The Brown Bears, receiving votes in this week's national poll, enter this weekend with a 12-6 overall record. Brown is coming off a pair of victories, defeating Queens College, 16-10, and Mercyhurst, 17-9.

The Bears are coached by Felix Mercado, in his third season at the helm of the program. Freshman Svetozar Stefanovic is the team's leading scorer with 56 goals on the season, while junior Gordon Hood is second with 39 scores. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Kent Holland has registered 140 saves in the cage.

Scouting the Terriers...
The St. Francis Terriers, ranked 19th in this week's national poll, currently hold a 10-3 overall record on the season. St. Francis is coming off an 18-10 victory over Harvard.

The Terriers are coached by Igor Samardzija, in his first year leading the program. Among the standouts for St. Francis are Pedja Predin, Stefan Gencic, Marko Gencic and goalkeeper Nikola Djuric.

Scouting the Broncos...
The Santa Clara Broncos, ranked 16th in the latest national poll, enters this weekend with a 13-7 overall record and 7-2 ledger in the WWPA. The Broncos are coming off a pair of losses to second-ranked Cal and third-ranked Stanford.

Santa Clara is coached by Keith Wilbur, in his seventh season at the helm of the program. Senior Jack Wall is the team's leading scorer with 49 goals and 34 assists. Nick Poggetti has added 35 goals on the season, while Liam Farrell has registered 29 goals and 22 assists on the year.

Series Records...
This weekend will mark the 59th meeting all-time between Air Force and conference rival UC Davis, with the Falcons holding a 35-23 advantage in the series. The Aggies have won four in a row against Air Force, including a pair of two-goal games in 2008.

Air Force's game against Brown will be the 17th all-time between the two teams, with the series knotted at 8-8. The Falcons and Bears last met in 2006, with Air Force coming away with an 11-5 victory.

Sunday's game between Air Force and St. Francis will be the fifth all-time and the third this season. The Terriers lead the all-time series, 3-1, while the two teams split a pair of games last month.

Finally, Air Force will wrap up the weekend with its 42nd all-time meeting against Santa Clara. The Falcons hold a 33-8 advantage in the series, but the Broncos have won four of the last six meetings, including a 10-6 contest earlier this season.

Air Force Athlete of the Week...
Junior Bobby Geiger was named the Air Force Athlete of the Week on Oct. 19 for his performance in four games against East Coast opponents. He helped the Falcons compile a 3-1 record for the weekend, registering 10 goals, one assist and 6.5 steals over the four games.

In addition to scoring a goal in each of the Falcons' wins over Iona and George Washington, Geiger was Air Force's leading scorer in a close 12-10 loss to No. 13 Navy, registering three goals. His biggest contribution came in the Falcons' 11-10 win over Johns Hopkins, when he scored five goals and an assist to lead the Air Force offense. With his performance on the weekend, Geiger moved into the Academy's top-25 all-time scoring list with 163 career points (117g, 46a).

In the Record Books...
Senior Alex Churnside currently sits among the Academy's top 10 career scorers, ranking sixth with 246 career points (131g, 115a). Churnside just needs nine points to move into a tie for fifth place with 2005 All-American Murphey Morgan. Churnside also moved into fourth place in the Falcons' record book for career assists with 115 and is just five assists away from tying for third place.

Meanwhile, junior Bobby Geiger now ranks tied for 24th on the Falcons' all-time scoring list with 163 career points (117g, 46a) and needs just one more point to move up on the list.

Up Next...
Air Force has a week off before wrapping up its regular season Nov. 7-8 with four WWPA road games. The Falcons will take on conference rivals Chapman and Loyola Marymount in Orange, Calif., on Saturday, while traveling to La Verne and Claremont on Sunday.

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