Feb. 25, 2009
The Air Force lacrosse team is back in action this weekend, Feb. 28-March 1, at the annual Pioneer Face-Off Classic, sponsored by Harrow. The tournament, being held at Barton Lacrosse Stadium on the campus of the University of Denver, will feature Air Force, host Denver, Sacred Heart and Towson.
The Falcons will face Towson at 11:00 a.m. Saturday in the opening game of the tournament, while they take on Sacred Heart at 11:00 Sunday morning. Live stats of all games will be available at denverpioneers.com.
The Teams...
• Air Force enters this weekend with a 1-1 overall record.
• Towson comes into the weekend with an 0-1 record.
• Sacred Heart currently holds an 0-2 record and will face 19th-ranked Denver Saturday on the opening day of the Pioneer Face-Off Classic.
The Coaches...
• Air Force is coached by Eric Seremet, in his first season as head coach. Seremet currently holds a career mark of 1-1.
• Towson is coached by Tony Seaman, in his 11th season at the helm of the Tigers' program. Seaman currently holds an 82-66 record at Towson and a career mark of 246-139 (26th season).
• Sacred Heart is coached by Tom Mariano, in his 13th season leading the Pioneers. Mariano enters this weekend with a record of 70-96 at SHU and a career mark of 84-108 (15th season).
Series Records...
• Towson is undefeated all-time against Air Force, winning both of the previous contests between the two teams. The last meeting was at the 2005 Pioneer Face-Off Classic, when the Tigers registered a 15-6 victory.
• The series between Air Force and Sacred Heart is tied at one game each, with the Falcons winning the last meeting, an 11-9 decision at the Academy.
Last Time Out...
The Air Force lacrosse team opened the 2009 season Feb. 14-15, at the Wounded Warrior Project's "Face Off for a Cause" in Jacksonville, Fla. The Falcons dropped a 15-4 contest to then-third-ranked Maryland on Saturday, before rebounding with a 12-8 victory over Presbyterian on Sunday.
The Falcons' leading scorer on the weekend was sophomore
Vinny Sandtorv, who scored five goals, all in the win over the Blue Hose. Junior
Ridge Flick also added five points for Air Force, tallying three goals and two assists on the weekend.
Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force enters this weekend with a 1-1 record following its performance at the Face Off for a Cause event in Jacksonville, Fla.
Sophomore Vinny Sandtorv is the Falcons' leading goal scorer with five tallies on the year, while he shares the team's point lead with junior Ridge Flick (3g, 2a). Meanwhile, senior captain Griffin Nevitt has a team-best three assists on the year. In addition, sophomore Zack Carroll has won 20-of-38 attempts (.526) from the face-off X.
Scouting the Tigers...
Towson comes into this weekend with an 0-1 record. The Tigers dropped its season opener, 11-8, to Loyola.
Matt Lamon and Sean Maguire were the leading goal scorers for Towson in the loss to Loyola, tallying two scores each, while Bill McCutcheon and Tim Stratton finished the game with three points each (1g, 2a).
Scouting the Pioneers...
Sacred Heart enters the weekend with an 0-2 record. After dropping a 15-6 decision to UMass in its season opener, Sacred Heart fell to Bryant, 22-8, last weekend. The Pioneers will take on Denver Saturday before facing Air Force on Sunday.
Timmy Katz is SHU's leading scorer through the first two games of the season, tallying a team-best seven points (5g, 2a). Bobby Karl ranks second on the team with four points (2g, 2a).
Road Warriors...
With this weekend's contests, the Falcons will have played their first four contests at neutral sites. Even more amazing is the fact that the first 10 games on Air Force's schedule will be played away from home (including five true road contests). Just two of the Falcons' contests are slated to be played at the Academy--the April 17 game versus conference foe Ohio State and the home finale versus Detroit on April 19.
A Career Day for Vinny...
Sophomore Vinny Sandtorv had an outstanding performance in the Falcons' win against Presbyterian, tallying a career-best five goals. He managed to double his career point-output, as he entered the game with just five career points (3g, 2a). In addition, Sandtorv is so far the only player for the Falcons to score on the EMO, with two of his five goals coming on a man-up opportunity.
On the Assist...
During the 2008 season, no Air Force player tallied more than one assist in a single game. Yet this year, the Falcons have had a multiple-assist scorer in both contests. Junior Ridge Flick registered a pair of assists in the Maryland game, matching his previous career total. Meanwhile, senior captain Griffin Nevitt, who led the Falcons with six total assists in 2008, scored a career-high-tying three assists in the contest versus Presbyterian.
Long Sticks on the Offense...
Just two games into the season, Air Force has already seen three points scored by its long poles. Sophomore defender Bryan Gilbreath, who tallied a pair of goals in 2008, scored his first goal of the year in the game versus Presbyterian, assisted by senior long-stick midfielder Jeff Pecora, who notched his first career helper. Fellow senior long-stick midfielder Dan Gnazzo also tallied an assist against the Blue Hose, the sixth of his career.
Up Next...
The Falcons are back in action next weekend, March 7, as they head to West Point, N.Y., for their annual showdown with service-academy rival Army. The match is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. (ET) at Michie Stadium.
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