March 18, 2009
The Air Force lacrosse team heads to Dallas, Texas, this weekend, March 21, to face Bucknell in the second-annual Patriot Cup, being held at Ford Stadium on the campus of SMU. The Patriot Cup, which will also feature a game between Notre Dame and Vermont, serves as a fund-raiser for the Wounded Warrior Project. Game-time between the Falcons and Bison is set for 2:30 p.m. (CT).
Ticket prices for the event are $15 for adults and $10 for students. Meanwhile, military personnel and their families receive free admission with uniform or military ID.
Last Time Out...
The Air Force lacrosse team opened its conference slate with a 14-8 victory over Quinnipiac last weekend.
Senior K.J. Landgraf (4g, 1a) and junior Ridge Flick (3g, 2a) were the leading point scorers for Air Force, while the Falcons saw four goals scored by their long-sticks (two for sophomore Bryan Gilbreath, one each for senior Jeff Pecora and freshman Dayton Gilbreath). In addition, Zack Carroll was impressive at the X, winning 18-of-25 face-offs, including 13-of-15 in the first three periods.
Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force enters this weekend with a 3-3 overall record following its conference-opening win over Quinnipiac last weekend.
Sophomore Vinny Sandtorv is the Falcons' leading goal scorer with 12 tallies on the year, while junior Ridge Flick leads the team in assists (7) and total points (15). Meanwhile, Sandtorv, K.J. Landgraf (11g, 2a) and Griffin Nevitt (7g, 6a) are all tied for second on the team in points scored with 13.
Scouting the Bison...
Bucknell, which received votes in the latest USILA coaches poll, enters this weekend with a 3-4 overall record. The Bison are coming off a 13-8 victory over Denver on Tuesday.
Austin Winter leads the team with 20 total points (eight goals and a team-best 12 assists), while Joe Mele has a team-high 11 goals. In addition, Jake Clarke has posted a .592 face-off win percentage, winning 71-of-120 face-offs on the season.
The Coaches...
• Air Force is coached by Eric Seremet, in his first season as head coach. Seremet currently holds a career mark of 3-3.
• Bucknell is coached by Frank Fedorjaka, in his fourth season at the helm of the Bison's program. Fedorjaka currently holds a ledger of 30-21 at Bucknell and a career mark of 69-52 (ninth season).
Series Records...
This weekend marks the seventh meeting all-time between Air Force and Bucknell, with the Bison undefeated against the Falcons. The last meeting between the two teams was in 2007, when Bucknell registered an 8-3 victory.
Air Force in the Statistical Rankings...
In the latest national rankings released by the NCAA (through games of March 15), Air Force ranks in the top 25 in five major team statistical categories. The Falcons rank fifth in the nation in ground balls per game (37.17), 20th in scoring offense (10.5), 22nd in points per game (15.83) and 24th in both face-off win percentage (.528) and assists per game (5.33).
In addition, the Falcons have a few players who are ranked among the top 50 nationally in various statistical categories. Midfielder Zack Carroll ranks 23rd in the nation and second in the GWLL in face-off win percentage (.545), Bryan Gilbreath is 43rd in the nation and third in the league in ground balls per game with 4.0 and Vinny Sandtorv ranks 47th in the country in goals per game with 2.0.
How They Rate...
Through games of March 15, Bucknell ranks in the top 25 nationally in three team statistical categories. The Bison rate 15th in man-down defense at 76 percent, are 17th in face-off win percentage (.547) and rank 20th in scoring defense (8.5).
Among the individual statistical leaders for the Bison are Jake Clarke, who ranks 12th nationally in face-off win percentage (.576) and 18th in ground balls per game (5.5); Austin Winter, who ranks 17th in assists per game at (1.67); and goalkeeper Nick Sciubba, who rates 18th in save percentage (.564) and 25th in goals against average (9.02).
About the Patriot Cup...
The Patriot Cup, in its second season, will feature a full day of lacrosse action at Ford Stadium on the campus of SMU. In addition to a high school game, a Division III match-up and a club lacrosse contest, the tournament is highlighted by a pair of Division I match-ups. Third-ranked Notre Dame will take on Vermont in a noon contest, while Air Force and Bucknell will face off at 2:30 p.m. All event proceeds will benefit the Wounded Warrior Project.
This weekend's Patriot Cup is the second of two lacrosse tournaments sponsored by the WWP in which Air Force will compete this year. The Falcons opened the season at the Face-Off for a Cause in Jacksonville, Fla.
For more information about the Patriot Cup, including the complete schedule of events, visit patriotcup.com.
About the Wounded Warrior Project...
The Wounded Warrior Project (WWP) serves to raise awareness and enlist the public's aid for the needs of severely injured service men and women, to help severely injured service members aid and assist each other, and to provide unique, direct programs and services to meet their needs. For more information about the WWP, visit woundedwarriorproject.org.
Dipoma To Be Honored at Patriot Cup...
Former Air Force lacrosse player Nick Dipoma is slated to be honored at halftime of the Air Force-Bucknell game on Saturday. Capt. Dipoma, a four-year letterwinner at the Academy and team's leading scorer as a senior in 2000, Dipoma was injured in a helicopter crash in 2007. After several months spent in a wheelchair and in rehabilitation, Dipoma returned to flying status and rejoined his squadron at a deployed location. Due to his current deployment, Dipoma will be represented at this weekend's event by his parents, Chris and Larry, and his wife, Devon.
Winning at the X...
Sophomore Zack Carroll has been solid for the Falcons at the face-off X this season, winning 72-of 132 of his face-off attempts (.545). His performance against Quinnipiac was particularly impressive, as he won 18-of-25 face-offs in the contest (.720), including 13-of-15 in the first three periods of play.
Who's in Goal?...
Through the first six games of the season, five different players have seen time in goal for Air Force, including four different starters. The most recent Falcon to spend time between the pipes has been senior Dan Gnazzo. While Gnazzo has spent most of his career at the long-stick midfield position, Gnazzo did see some minutes in goal in his sophomore season, and returned to the goal for the win over Quinnipiac.
A Balanced Offense...
While junior Ridge Flick leads Air Force in points scored through the first six games of the season with 15, three other players--K.J. Landgraf, Griffin Nevitt and Vinny Sandtorv--have all added 13 points each. In addition, three more Falcons--Eric Evans, Bryan Gilbreath and Colin Lockhart--are averaging more than one point a game, with nine, eight and seven points, respectively.
In contrast, just two Air Force players finished the 2008 season with more than 13 points--Nevitt led the team with 24 points, while `08 graduate David Rose added 21 points.
High-Scoring Defense...
In the first six games of the season, Air Force has seen 18 points scored by its long poles. Sophomore defender Bryan Gilbreath, who tallied a pair of goals in 2008, is tied for fourth on the team with seven goals on the year, along with his first career assist. Senior Dan Gnazzo, playing at the long-stick midfield position, registered his first two goals of the season in the game versus Army, giving him five for his career, while also adding three assists on the year. In addition, fellow senior long-stick midfielder Jeff Pecora has assisted Gilbreath on a pair of goals, while scoring two more goals on the season, while freshman defenseman Dayton Gilbreath tallied his first career goal in the win over Quinnipiac.
Road Warriors...
With its seventh game of the season coming up this weekend, Air Force has yet to play at home. The Falcons, who are headed to their fifth neutral-site contest of the season this weekend, are away from home for their first 10 games of the season. Air Force will play three more true road games before finally opening the home slate on April 17--more than two months after the its first game of the season. Just two of the Falcons' 13 regular-season 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.
Air Force is one of just two Division I men's lacrosse teams slated to play fewer than five home games during the season. The other is first-year program Detroit, which has just one home contest on its schedule.
The Falcons Score...
Air Force had a strong offensive showing in its win over Sacred Heart on March 1. The 15 goals were the most in a single game so far this season, and the highest scoring output for the Falcons since a 16-9 win over Quinnipiac in 2007. In addition, Air Force's 10-goal margin of victory was its largest since 1997, when the Falcons posted a 24-3 win over Colorado College.
Less than midway through the season, Air Force has tallied 63 goals, more than two-thirds of the entire scoring output in 2008 (81 goals).
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 five of six contests. Junior Ridge Flick registered a pair of assists in the Maryland, Towson and Quinnipiac games, after entering the season with just two career assists. 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. Senior Eric Evans notched a career-best three assists in the win over Sacred Heart, while classmate Colin Lockhart also added a pair of assists, the first of his career, in the contest.
Up Next...
The Falcons are back on the road next week, March 24, when they head to Riverdale, N.Y., to take on Manhattan in a non-conference contest. The game is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. (ET).
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