The Air Force lacrosse team (4-7, 1-3) wraps up the 2005 season Saturday, April 30

The Air Force lacrosse team (4-7, 1-3) wraps up the 2005 season Saturday, April 30, as it heads up the road to face intra-state rival Denver in GWLL action. The game is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Barton Lacrosse Stadium.


Last Time Out…
The Falcons went 1-1 in conference play last week, defeating Butler, 11-8, before falling to Ohio State, 11-7.

The Bulldogs got out to an early 4-0 lead on Air Force before the Falcons responded with four straight scores of their own to tie the game. With Butler taking a 5-4 lead at the halftime, Air Force opened the second half with another four-goal spurt, but the Bulldogs tied the game once more late in the fourth period. However, junior John Smith, who scored a career-high three goals in the game, tallied the game-winner and Will Meister added a pair of insurance goals to give Air Force an 11-8 win.

Two days later, the Falcons hosted the Buckeyes on Senior Day, led by as many as four before moving to a 6-3 advantage at the half. However, Ohio State rattled off four straight goals to take its first lead of the game. The Falcons tied it back up before the end of the third quarter, but were outscored 4-0 in the fourth period to take the 11-7 loss.

Goalkeeper Justin Pavoni was stellar against the Buckeyes, tallying 19 saves, including six in each of the first three periods. Meister and Conrad Lochocki scored two goals each for the Falcons.


How We Rate...
In the latest edition of national statistics released by the NCAA (through games on April 24), Air Force goalkeeper Justin Pavoni ranks fifth in the nation in ground balls with 7.36 per game.

Meanwhile, sophomore attackman Will Meister is also in the national rankings, rated 15th in the country in assists per game with 1.73.

In addition, the Falcons rank ninth in the nation in man-up offense at .395.


Scouting the Pioneers...
Denver, ranked 15th in the latest USILA coaches poll and 14th in the Inside Lacrosse media poll, enters this weekend’s match-up with an 8-4 overall and are 3-0 in the Great Western Lacrosse League.

Last weekend, the Pioneers recorded a pair of league victories, defeating Ohio State, 13-8, before capturing a 17-7 win over Butler. Leading the way for Denver on the weekend was sophomore Ryan Zordani, who tallied three goals and two assists against the Buckeyes and a goal and three assists versus the Bulldogs, earning GWLL player of the week honors.

On the season, Matt Brown, who leads the league with 2.67 goals per game, has a team-high 38 points on 32 goals and six assists. Meanwhile, Darren Sasaki-Scanlon is tops on the team with 19 assists, ranking third in the GWLL with 1.25 assists per contest.


How They Rate...
In the latest NCAA statistical reports, Denver ranks eighth in the country in scoring offense (11.5 ppg), scoring margin (3.5) and man-up offense (.410), while ranking 15th in scoring defense (8.0 ppg). Meanwhile, Matt Brown is 10th in the nation with 2.67 goals per game.


In the Series...
Denver and Air Force share a long history, having met at least once in every season but one (1995) since the Falcons’ program began in 1967. Air Force has a commanding 51-11 series advantage over the Pioneers, but has lost five of the last six contests, including the past two.


Last Year vs. Denver...
The Falcons suffered a heartbreaking loss to No. 18 Denver last season, when an Air Force turnover enabled the Pioneers to score a man-down goal to break a 6-6 tie in the fourth quarter, to hold on for the 7-6 win.


AF in the GWLL Rankings...
In the latest rankings released by the GWLL on April 25, several Falcons are rated among the league’s leaders in various statistical categories.

Junior goalkeeper Justin Pavoni remains the league leader in ground balls per game with 7.36, while also leading the conference in saves with 12.73 pg. Sophomore Will Meister ranks second in the GWLL in both assists (1.73) and points (3.18) per game. In goals per game, sophomore Conrad Lochocki is third with 2.27.


Winning The Face-Off...
The Falcons have struggled with face-offs all season, ranking last in the conference with a .339 percentage (82-of-160). However, in last week’s games against Butler and Ohio State, Air Force recorded two of its best face-off percentages of the season, winning 11-of-22 (.500) versus Butler and a season-best 12-of-21 (.571) against the Buckeyes.

Pacing the Falcons to their season-best efforts on the face-off was sophomore Kyle Neill, who won 18-of-32 (.545) for the week.


Smitty’s Career Day...
Junior John Smith had a huge day for the Falcons against Butler, tallying a career-high three goals to double his season total. His third goal on the day proved to be the game-winner, the first in his career. Smith also added a goal in the Ohio State game, bringing his season total to seven.


Don’t Penalize Us...
This season, penalties haven’t been a big problem for the Falcons, who rank second in the league with just four penalties per game. While Air Force is one of the least penalized teams in the GWLL, it also clamps down the defense when it IS penalized, and holds the second-best penalty-killing percentage in the conference, allowing just 11 goals in 40 extra-man opportunities (.725) for its opponents. Air Force is also one of only two teams in the league (Denver is the other) which has scored a man-down goal.