Air Force Academy

Nov. 5, 2009

The 15th-ranked Air Force water polo team wraps up its regular season this weekend, Nov. 7-8, with four road Western Water Polo Association contests. The Falcons will open the weekend in Orange, Calif., where they will face Chapman at 9:00 a.m. (PT), followed by a neutral-site contest against Loyola Marymount at 12:30 p.m. On Sunday, Air Force visits La Verne at 9:00 a.m. and Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at 1:00 p.m.

Last Time Out...
Air Force went 2-2 at The Rodeo Oct. 24-25, with a pair of overtime victories over then-13th-ranked UC Davis and Brown. The Falcons also dropped games against No. 19 St. Francis and No. 16 host Santa Clara.

Junior Bobby Geiger was the Falcons' leading scorer with 10 goals and three assists on the weekend, while seniors Jack Hines (8g, 2a) and Alex Churnside (2g, 8a) each added 10 points. Goalkeeper David Ostrom tallied 49 saves, three assists and seven steals on the weekend, including a 20-save output in the Falcons' 9-8 overtime win over Brown.

Scouting the Falcons...
The Air Force Falcons, ranked 15th in the latest national poll, enter this weekend with a 14-11 overall record and 7-3 mark in the Western Water Polo Association.

Junior Bobby Geiger is the Falcons' leading scorer with 74 total points on the season, including a team-high 57 goals. Senior Alex Churnside, who ranks second on the team in total points (66), has tallied a team-best 41 assists on the year, while freshman Cruz Smithson ranks second on the team in goals (38) and third in points (54).

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 for the Falcons, ranking tied for second in the conference in total goals (57) and fifth in goals per game (2.28).

In addition, senior goalkeeper David Ostrom ranks seventh in the conference in saves per game (8.96) and ninth in total saves (168).

Scouting the Panthers...
The Chapman Panthers enter this weekend with a 12-12 overall record and 5-4 mark in the WWPA. Chapman dropped a pair of contests last weekend, falling to Concordia, 15-11, and Cal Baptist, 16-10.

The Panthers are coached by Eric Ploessel, in his third year at the helm of the program. Senior Alex Mule leads the team and the nation in scoring with 92 goals on the season. Meanwhile, Steve Neville is second on the team with 39 goals this year.

Scouting the Lions...
The Loyola Marymount Lions, ranked sixth in this week's national poll, enter this weekend with a 14-6 overall ledger and perfect 9-0 record in the WWPA. The Lions are coming off an 11-6 victory over UC San Diego last weekend.

LMU is coached by John Loughran, in his 13th season at the helm of the program. Sophomore Edgaras Asajavicius is the team's leading scorer with 35 goals on the season, while junior Andrew Aki is second with 27 scores. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Andy Stevens has registered 242 saves in the cage, ranking third in the WWPA in that category.

Scouting the Leopards...
The La Verne Leopards currently hold a 3-18 overall record on the season and 1-12 mark in the WWPA. The Leopards are coming off a 17-8 loss to Claremont last weekend.

La Verne is coached by Alex La, in his third year leading the program. The Leopards' leading scorer this season is Arturo Villalpando, with 41 goals on the year.

Scouting the Stags...
The Claremont-Mudd-Scripps Stags currently hold a 12-13 overall record and 3-6 ledger in the WWPA. The Stags, who visit Whittier on Wednesday, are coming off a 17-8 victory over La Verne.

CMS is coached by Greg Lonzo, in his third season at the helm of the program. The Stags are averaging 8.57 goals per game this season, while allowing 9.17 goals per contest.

Series Records...
This weekend will mark the 13th meeting all-time between Air Force and Chapman, with the Falcons undefeated against the Panthers. Air Force won a pair of games against Chapman in 2008, including a 12-4 decision in the WWPA Tournament.

Air Force and Loyola Marymount will meet for the 41st time in the series this weekend, with the Falcons holding a slight 21-19 edge. LMU has won the last 12 contests between the two teams, including a 12-5 decision earlier this season.

Sunday will mark the 16th meeting all-time between Air Force and La Verne, with the Falcons holding a 14-1 advantage in the series. The last meeting between the two teams was in 2008, as Air Force grabbed a 16-4 road victory.

Air Force will wrap up the weekend against Claremont, with the 35th meeting all-time between the teams. The Falcons lead the series, 29-5, winning three games against the Stags in 2008, including a 13-9 victory at the WWPA Tournament.

WWPA Player of the Week...
Senior David Ostrom was named the WWPA Player of the Week on Oct. 29 for his performance at The Rodeo, Oct. 24-25. He tallied 49 saves in four games to lead Air Force to a 2-2 record for the weekend.

Ostrom was stellar in a pair of overtime victories on the first day of action, registering 12 saves and an assist in an 8-7 win over No. 13 UC Davis, while recording 20 stops, two steals and an assist in the Falcons' 9-8 win against Brown. Ostrom added eight saves and an assist against No. 19 St. Francis and nine saves and a steal against No. 16 Santa Clara. With his performance on the weekend, Ostrom moved into third place on the Falcons' career saves list with 623.

In the Record Books...
Senior Alex Churnside currently sits among the Academy's top five career scorers, ranking fifth with 256 career points (133g, 123a). Churnside is 24 points away from fourth-place on the Falcons' all-time scoring list. Meanwhile, Churnside also moved into third place in the Falcons' record book for career assists with 123 and is just seven assists away from tying for second place.

Junior Bobby Geiger now ranks 21st on the Falcons' all-time scoring list with 176 career points (117g, 46a), just one point behind former Air Force head coach Jeff Heidmous. In addition, senior Jack Hines, who currently has 158 career points (107g, 51a), is just five points shy of moving onto the Academy's top-25 scoring list.

Senior goalkeeper David Ostrom has made his mark on the Academy record books as well, currently ranking third all-time in career saves with 623.

Up Next...
With the regular season under wraps, the Falcons will head to the Western Water Polo Association Championship, Nov. 20-22, hosted by Chapman in Orange, Calif.

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