Falcons Face No. 13 North Carolina, Manhattan In Pioneer Face-Off Classic (2/23/06)

The Air Force lacrosse team (1-0) returns to action this weekend, Feb. 25-26, when they head to Denver, Colo., to take part in the Pioneer Face-Off Classic, hosted by Denver. The Falcons will face North Carolina on Saturday at 11:00 a.m., followed by an 11:00 a.m. meeting with Manhattan on Sunday.


Last Time Out...
Air Force opened the season last weekend with an 11-6 road loss to Villanova. The Wildcats took a 4-2 lead at the end of the first period before extending their advantage to 8-2 with just over five minutes remaining in the third quarter. Freshman Griffin Nevitt and sophomore Kevin Crumrine led the Air Force offense with two goals each in the loss, while Will Meister added a goal and an assist. Also scoring for the Falcons were juniors Justin Kuchta and Conrad Lochocki with a goal and an assist, respectively. Meanwhile, senior goalkeeper Justin Pavoni tallied nine saves between the pipes for the Falcons.


Head Coach Fred Acee...
Air Force head coach Fred Acee begins his ninth season at the helm of the Falcons’ program and his 39th season overall as a collegiate lacrosse coach.

A 1963 graduate of Cortland State, Acee coached at SUNY-Farmingdale, a two-year college on Long Island, for 30 years, compiling an overall mark of 312-119-1 and advancing to the NJCAA Final Four 25 times. Since Acee’s arrival at the Academy in the fall of 1997, the Falcons have yearly played top notch Division I schedules, compiling a record of 26-77.


Scouting the Tar Heels...
North Carolina, ranked 13th in the latest media poll released by Inside Lacrosse magazine, enters this weekend with a 1-0 record after defeating Ohio State, 14-5, last Saturday.

Freshman Michael Burns, named the ACC Player of the Week, led the Tar Heels with three goals and three assists in the season-opening victory, while fellow rookie Bart Wagner added three goals and two assists. Also scoring multiple points for North Carolina were Bobby MacAuley and Nick Tintle with two goals and an assist each and Ryan Blair with two goals.

North Carolina is coached by John Haus (North Carolina, ‘83), who has compiled a 104-58 mark in his seventh year at the helm of the Tar Heels’ program.


Scouting the Jaspers...
Manhattan opens its season on Saturday with its game against 20th-ranked Denver. The Jaspers, selected to finish third in a pre-season poll of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, recorded an overall ledger of 7-7.

Among the leading returners for the Jaspers are senior defenseman Pat Farrelly, a preseason All-MAAC pick, and juniors Chris Oppito, Justin Henry and Brian Murray. Oppito notched 14 goals and 11 assists in 2005, Henry had a 9.88 GAA and Murray recorded 12 goals and 12 assists last season.

Manhattan is coached by Tim McIntee (C.W. Post, ‘89), who has notched a 49-73 mark in his eight years at the helm of the Jaspers’ program.


In the Series...
North Carolina holds an 8-0 advantage in the all-time series versus Air Force. The teams last met in Chapel Hill, N.C., last season, with the Tar Heels picking up a 14-5 victory.

Manhattan is 2-1 all-time versus Air Force, with the last meeting an 8-7 victory for the Jaspers at the 2003 Pioneer Face-Off Classic.


The Ties That Bind...
Air Force’s coaching staff features connections to North Carolina’s lacrosse program. Assistant Eric Seremet was a four-year letterwinner for the Tar Heels and was part of North Carolina’s national championship team in 1991. In addition, head coach Fred Acee’s son, Michael, also played lacrosse at North Carolina.


Season Openers...
With its loss to Villanova last weekend, Air Force is now 27-13 all-time in season openers.


Up Next...
The Falcons head to the East Coast next weekend, March 4, to face UMBC in a 12:00 p.m. (ET) contest.

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Melissa McKeown
U.S. Air Force Academy
Assistant Athletic Media Relations Director
719.333.9025 (office)
719.333.3798 (fax)
719.331.8321 (cell)