The Air Force lacrosse team heads to Denver this weekend

The Air Force lacrosse team heads to Denver this weekend, March 5-6, for the Pioneer Face-Off Classic, hosted by the University of Denver. The Falcons take on 11th-ranked Towson on Saturday, before facing Lafayette on Sunday. Both games are slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. at Barton Lacrosse Stadium.


Last Time Out...
Air Force opened its season last weekend at VMI, taking a 12-8 victory over the host Keydets.
After trailing early in the game and tying the score at 2-2 at the end of the first period, the Falcons outscored VMI 4-1 in the second quarter to take a 6-3 lead at the half.
Air Force continued to dominate in the second half, leading by as many as five before the Keydets scored a goal with just six seconds remaining in the contest to bring the final score to 12-8.
Leading the way for the Falcons were sophomore Conrad Lochocki, who erupted for five goals, and sophomore Will Meister, who tallied one goal and four assists. Meanwhile, junior Justin Pavoni notched 13 saves and 10 ground balls in goal.


Scouting the Tigers...
Towson, currently ranked 11th in the Inside Lacrosse media poll, is 1-0 after notching a 7-5 come-from-behind victory against #16 Loyola in its season opener.
Seven different players scored goals for the Tigers in the victory, while goalkeeper Reed Sothoron tallied seven saves. In addition, Matt Eckerl won 11-of-15 face-offs to give Towson an extra advantage.


In the Series...
The Falcons and Tigers have met just once before, a 17-5 victory by Towson in 1980.


Scouting the Leopards...
Lafayette, which will face Denver on the first day of the Pioneer Face-Off Classic, currently has an 0-1 record, falling 11-3 in its season opener versus Drexel.
Scoring for the Leopards in their first game of the season were Jon Paulson, Bart Seifert and Sean Burek. Sophomore goalkeeper Chris Rosa had nine saves in his first career start, while freshman Ryan Caso notched eight saves in just over 23 minutes of action.


In the Series...
This weekend’s contest is the first-ever meeting between the Falcons and the Leopards.


How We Rate...
After one week of play, sophomores Conrad Lochocki and Will Meister are two of four players who lead the Great Western Lacrosse League in points per game with 5. Junior goalkeeper Justin Pavoni is second in the league in ground balls per game with 10, while Jordan Kemp is fourth with 7. Pavoni also ranks fourth in the conference in save percentage with a .617.


Season Openers...
Air Force’s victory over VMI last weekend helped the Falcons improve to 27-12 all-time in season openers. Air Force has now won three of its last four season openers, including a 7-6 victory over top-ranked defending national champion Virginia last year.


Falcons In The Polls...
Air Force is receiving votes in the latest media poll, released by Inside Lacrosse.
The first official USILA poll of the season will be released on March 7.


Up Next...
The Falcons open the 2005 home slate next Thursday, March 10, when it hosts Penn at 3:00 p.m.