Offense struggles in 10-2 loss to No. 15 Air Force
ORANGE, Calif. - The Chapman University men's water polo scored
just two goals, and were held scoreless for the first half, as No.
15 Air Force defeated the Panthers 10-2 in WWPA play on Saturday
morning at the Allred Aquatics Center. Chapman's two goals is its
lowest offensive output since 2007 when the Panthers lost 18-2 to
then Division III top-ranked Redlands.
Less than two minutes into the first quarter, junior 2M
Matt Versage gave Air Force a 1-0 lead. The
Falcons added two more goals in the quarter, building their lead to
3-0 which is how the score remained until the second half. Chapman
(12-13) senior goalie Colin Gasper had eight of
his game-high 15 blocks in the first half.
Consecutive goals by Falcons' junior utility Matt
Shields pushed their lead to 5-0 in the third quarter.
Chapman responded scoring its first goal of the game with 4:29
remaining in the third quarter when senior utility Alex
Mulé scored his 93rd goal of the
season.
Down 8-1, senior 2M Austin McElvaney connected
with junior utility Matt Siordia for Chapman's
other goal with 2:18 left in the fourth quarter. Air Force
sophomore 2M Taque Patino scored back-to-back
goals to close out the game, his second goal coming with one second
remaining.
In the second game of the afternoon, Loyola Marymount University defeated Air Force 9-4. Trailing 4-3 in the third quarter, LMU scored the last six goals of the game to secure the win.
Chapman's second game of the day against Loyola Marymount
University was canceled due to an hour-long, area-wide power outage
earlier in the afternoon.