Water polo: No. 19 Air Force Defeats Iona, 15-8

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFNS) --  In its first home game of the season, the 19th-ranked Air Force water polo team surged to a 15-8 victory over Iona Oct. 18 at Cadet Natatorium. With the win, the Falcons improve to 11-8 overall on the season, while the Gaels fall to 11-15.
 
Air Force's offense struck first, as sophomore Matt Versage scored one minute into the game to put the Falcons up on top. However, the teams traded goals over the next 64 seconds, with Iona's Ed Gronkowski tying the game at 2-2 with 5:56 left in the opening period. Air Force sophomore Bobby Geiger broke the stalemate at the 3:39 mark in the first quarter, and the Falcons never looked back, leading by as many as five goals in the first half.
 
With an 8-4 advantage after two periods, Air Force pulled away in the third period, outscoring Iona, 5-1. The Falcons then grabbed their largest advantage of the game early in the fourth quarter, as freshman Taque Patino scored his first career goal to put Air Force up 14-5. The Gaels scored three of the next four goals in the game, but it was not enough to overcome their early deficit, as the Falcons held on for the 15-8 victory. 

Nine different Falcons scored in the contest, led by Geiger with four goals, while Jack Hines, Versage and Joey Brewer added two goals each. 

For the Gaels, Nick Velasquez and Trevor Creighton each tallied three scores to lead the Iona offense. 

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