The Air Force lacrosse team (3-5) wraps up its five-game road swing Wednesday, April 13

The Air Force lacrosse team (3-5) wraps up its five-game road swing Wednesday, April 13, as it travels to Chapel Hill, N.C., to face North Carolina in its final non-conference tilt of the season. The game is slated to begin at 4:00 p.m. (ET) at Fetzer Field.


Last Time Out…
The Falcons made a fourth-quarter comeback against 11th-ranked Notre Dame to force overtime, but fell short in their quest for the upset, falling 14-13 in GWLL action Saturday.

Air Force led early in the contest, but a six-goal second-quarter gave the Fighting Irish an 8-6 lead at halftime. The Falcons came back to tie the score four times in the second half before Notre Dame pushed ahead to a 13-11 fourth-quarter advantage. Air Force responded with a pair of man-up goals to tie the game at 13-13, sending the game into overtime.

Despite having chances to win in overtime, the Falcons could not overcome the offense of Notre Dame senior Brian Giordano, who scored his fifth goal of the contest with 1:18 remaining in overtime to seal the Irish victory.

Freshman Kevin Crumrine led the Falcon offense with five goals and two assists, while sophomore Conrad Lochocki added three goals and two assists.The Falcons’ defensive effort was led by goalkeeper Justin Pavoni who recorded 19 saves and six ground balls, while Tim Hade picked up seven ground balls on close defense. In addition, defender Jared Brush was able to keep Jim Morrison, Notre Dame’s leading goal-getter, without a goal in the contest.


Scouting the Tar Heels...
North Carolina enters Wednesday’s contest with a 2-7 overall record after falling to third-ranked Virginia, 15-9, on Saturday.

The Cavaliers, who are 8-1 on the season, rolled out to a 10-4 halftime lead before the Tar Heels cut the margin to 11-9 late in the third quarter. However, Virginia scored the last four goals of the game to capture the victory.

Leading the way for North Carolina against the Cavaliers was Ryan Blair with three goals and three assists, while Jed Prossner added a goal and three assists. On the season, Blair leads the team in both points (32) and assists (20), while Prossner has a team-high 22 goals. Goalkeeper Paul Spellman has recorded 94 saves in nine starts for the Tar Heels, and holds a 9.98 goals against average.


How We Rate...
In the latest edition of national statistics released by the NCAA (through games on April 10), Air Force goalkeeper Justin Pavoni ranks fourth in the nation in ground balls with 7.13 per game.

Meanwhile, sophomore attackmen Will Meister and Conrad Lochocki are also in the national rankings,. Meister is rated ninth in the country in assists per game with 2.0, while Lochocki is 20th in goals per game with 2.38.

As a team, the Falcons, who were 4-of-4 on extra-man opportunities against Notre Dame, rank 18th in the nation in man-up offense at .353.


How They Rate...
In the latest NCAA statistical reports, North Carolina ranks third in the nation in man-up offense with a percentage of .472.

The Tar Heels also have individuals rated in three categories. Ryan Blair ranks fifth in the nation in assists per game with 2.22 and is 16th in points per contest at 3.56. In addition, Jed Prossner ranks 15th in goals per game with 2.44.


In the Series...
The Falcons are 0-7 all-time against Notrth Carolina. The two teams last met a year ago, when the ninth-ranked Tar Heels captured a narrow 10-9 victory .


Last Year vs. North Carolina...
Air Force was able to take a 9-7 fourth-quarter lead over the visiting Tar Heels last season, but surrendered three goals in the final period to drop the 10-9 decision to ninth-ranked North Carolina. Senior Michael Colosimo led the Falcon offense with three goals, while goalkeeper Justin Pavoni tallied 18 saves in the loss.


Three is the Magic Number...
Sophomore Conrad Lochocki, who leads the team with 19 goals on the season, has scored three goals in each of the Falcons’ last four games. Lochocki, who saw action in just two games last season and did not score any points, has scored in seven of eight contests this year. He has also scored at least three goals in four of those games, his best a five-goal output in the season opener at VMI.


Going Into OT...
Sunday’s overtime contest against Notre Dame was the Falcons’ first of the season. Air Force is 7-8 all-time in overtime games, and has lost its last four games when going into extra periods. The last overtime win for the Falcons was a 9-8 overtime victory against Providence in 2001.


Up Next...
Air Force returns to Colorado next week for its final two home games, as it hosts Butler and Ohio State in GWLL action. The Falcons take on Butler on Thursday, April 22 at 3:00 p.m., before facing Ohio State on Saturday, April 24 at noon.