Air Force Opens GWLL Slate at Home Against No. 5 Notre Dame

Game slated for 12:00 p.m. at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium

March 19, 2008

The Air Force lacrosse team returns home this weekend, March 22, when it hosts fifth-ranked Notre Dame in the GWLL opener for both teams. The game is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium.

Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force (1-4) fell to sixth-ranked Maryland over the weekend, going scoreless for nearly 43 minutes. Junior Griffin Nevitt led the Falcons' offense with a pair of goals, while Air Force had two goalkeepers combine for 18 saves.

Nevitt is the Falcons' leading scorer with eight goals and three assists on the season, while senior David Rose is second on the team with six goals and two assists.

Scouting the Fighting Irish...
Notre Dame (5-1), ranked fifth in the USILA coaches poll and sixth in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll, is coming off a 19-7 victory over Dartmouth. Its lone loss of the season came against No. 4 North Carolina.

Alex Wharton leads Notre Dame's offense with 19 points (7g, 12a), while Ryan Hoff has pitched in 17 points (16g, 1a). Meanwhile, goalkeeper Joey Kemp is averaging over 11 saves per game and holds a 6.66 GAA.

The Coaches...
• Air Force is coached by Fred Acee, in his 11th season with the Falcons. Acee holds a 348-218-1 career record (41st year) and a 36-99 mark at the Academy.
• Notre Dame is coached by Kevin Corrigan, in his 20th season leading the Fighting Irish. Corrigan holds a career record of 182-108 (22nd season) and is 172-93 at Notre Dame.

Series Records...
This weekend marks the 21st meeting all-time between Air Force and Notre Dame, with the Irish holding an 18-2 advantage in the series. Notre Dame won last season's contest, 16-4, while the Falcons upset the Fighting Irish two years ago, 9-8.

Air Force in the Statistical Rankings...
In the latest national rankings through games of March 17, Air Force ranks tied for 29th in the nation in man-up offense (.304).

 

 

Meanwhile, juniors Eric Evans and Griffin Nevitt, who rank second in the GWLL in ground balls per game (4.6), rank tied for 24th nationally in the same category. Classmate Dan Gnazzo is ranked tied for 30th in the nation with 4.4 ground balls per contest.

How They Rate...
Notre Dame ranks in the top 15 nationally in five major statistical categories. The Fighting Irish are second in face-off percentage (.656), fifth in scoring margin (+4.67), ninth in scoring offense (11.67) and man-up offense (.448) and tied for 11th in scoring defense (7.0). They lead the GWLL in face-off win percentage, scoring offense and scoring margin.

Individually, Ryan Hoff leads the league and ranks ninth in the country with 2.67 goals per game, Alex Wharton is first in the GWLL and 11th in the nation in assists per game with 2.0, Joey Kemp leads the GWLL and is seventh in the country with a .642 save percentage and Taylor Clagett ranks first in the conference and fourth in the nation with a .630 face-off win percentage. Kemp also ranks 10th in the nation with a 6.66 GAA.

Keeping the Streak Alive...
Junior Griffin Nevitt will look to keep his scoring streak alive this weekend, as the midfielder has scored at least one goal or assist in 30 consecutive games. Nevitt, who has 53 goals and 27 assists in his career, has scored in 32 of 33 games in his first two-plus seasons.

Up Next...
The Falcons remain at home next week, March 25, for a non-conference match-up against Presbyterian College, The contest is scheduled to start at 3:00 p.m. at the Cadet Lacrosse Stadium.

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Senior Kevin Crumrine
  
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