COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- The Augustana Vikings men's water polo fell in the final two games of the Air Force Rare Air Invite on Sunday. The team mounted a late comeback against the Occidental Tigers, but came up just short, falling 12-11, while losing game two against the Biola Eagles 14-9.
Game One: Occidental 12 - Augie 11
Occidental opened the contest with three goals before Luke Burger put Augustana on the board with 3:23 remaining in the first quarter. The Tigers added another late goal to take a 4-1 lead into the second period.
Augustana found its offensive rhythm in the second quarter, scoring three times. Adam Rashed opened the scoring for the Vikings before Malte Faltstrom struck twice in a 46-second span to pull Augie within two. The Tigers answered with a late goal, sending the Tigers into halftime with a 7-4 advantage.
The Vikings continued to chip away in the third quarter. Alden Brinkmeier, Diego Ferrer and Mason Landes each found the back of the net, while Lawson Soukup helped keep the Vikings within striking distance in goal. Occidental held a 9-7 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
The fourth quarter featured a furious Augustana comeback. After Occidental pushed its lead to 10-7 early in the period, Faltstrom scored with 6:39 remaining before Burger converted with 4:44 left to make it a 10-9 game. The Tigers answered with two goals to regain a three-goal advantage, but Augustana refused to go away. Faltstrom completed his four-goal performance with 2:30 remaining, cutting the deficit to 12-10. With time winding down, Ben Symington scored at the final horn to bring the Vikings within one, but Augustana could not find the equalizer.
Faltstrom led all Augustana scorers with four goals on eight shots. Burger added two goals and two steals, while Rashed contributed a goal and two assists. Brinkmeier, Ferrer, Landes and Symington each added one goal. Soukup played all 32 minutes in goal and recorded 12 saves.
Game Two: Biola 14 - Augie 9
Augie came out firing in the opening period, answering an early Biola advantage with a four-goal run. Faltstrom opened the scoring for the Vikings at the 3:48 mark before Ronin Araucto and Ian Palmroos followed with goals in a span of just over two minutes. Palmroos struck again with 1:08 remaining to give the Vikings a 4-3 lead after the opening eight minutes.
The Vikings continued to trade punches with the Eagles in the second quarter. Bence Kovacs-Siklosi converted a penalty shot early in the period before Rashed found the back of the net with 3:15 remaining. Cole Faux added another goal with 29 seconds left in the half, keeping Augustana within striking distance as Biola took an 8-7 lead into halftime.
Biola created separation in the third quarter, however, holding Augie scoreless while scoring four unanswered goals. The Eagles took a 12-7 advantage into the final period.
The Vikings continued to fight in the fourth quarter. Faltstrom scored with 6:32 remaining before Rashed converted a penalty shot just 50 seconds later, trimming the deficit to 12-9. Biola answered with two late goals to secure the 14-9 final.
Palmroos and Rashed led the Vikings offensively in game two with two goals apiece, while Faltstrom also scored twice. Araucto, Kovacs-Siklosi and Faux each added one goal. Palmroos and Rashed each finished with three points, with Palmroos adding an assist. Rashed also recorded an assist and a steal. Marcos Moret Roldan played all 32 minutes in goal and recorded 10 saves.
With the two losses, Augie moves to 1-4 on the season and will return to action Oct. 2 at the Gary Troyer Tournament in Los Angeles, Calif.
