Air Force Academy

April 1, 2009

The Air Force lacrosse team returns to conference action this weekend, April 4, when they visit fourth-ranked Notre Dame. The contest is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. (ET) at Alumni Field.

Last Time Out...
The Air Force lacrosse team dropped a heart-breaking 9-8 decision to Manhattan on the road last week.

Leading for most of the game, the Falcons' first deficit came with just 11 seconds remaining when the Jaspers scored the game-winning goal. Sophomore Vinny Sandtorv was the leading scorer for Air Force with three goals, while Griffin Nevitt and Ridge Flick added a goal and an assist each.

Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force enters this week's contest with a 3-5 overall record following its road loss to Manhattan last week. Meanwhile, the Falcons also hold a 1-0 mark in league action.

Sophomore Vinny Sandtorv is the Falcons' leading goal scorer with 15 tallies on the year, while junior Ridge Flick leads the team in assists (8) and total points (17). Sandtorv is second on the team in points scored with 16, while seniors Griffin Nevitt (8g, 7a) and K.J. Landgraf (12g, 2a) have 15 and 14 points on the year, respectively.

Scouting the Fighting Irish...
Notre Dame, ranked fourth in the latest USILA coaches poll and third in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll, enters this weekend's contest with an 8-0 overall record and 1-0 mark in the GWLL. The Fighting Irish, one of just two undefeated teams in Division I, are coming off a 9-7 non-conference victory against Villanova on Tuesday.

Neal Hicks leads Notre Dame with 24 total points on the year (16 g, 8a), while Ryan Hoff has a team-best 17 goals on the season. Two other players have scored at least 20 points this year as well, with Grant Krebs tallying 23 points (16g, 7a) and Duncan Swezey adding 21 points (13g, 8a). Meanwhile, goalkeeper Scott Rodgers has had a solid season so far, with a .629 save percentage and 7.14 goals against average.

Series Records...
This weekend marks the 22nd meeting all-time between Air Force and Notre Dame, with the Irish holding a 19-2 advantage in the series. Notre Dame registered a 13-5 victory over the Falcons last season at the Academy.

Air Force in the Statistical Rankings...
In the latest national rankings released by the NCAA (through games of March 29), Air Force ranks in the top 25 in two major team statistical categories. The Falcons rank eighth in the nation in ground balls per game (36.13) and 25th in face-off win percentage (.520).

In addition, the Falcons have a few players who are ranked among the top 50 nationally in various statistical categories. Midfielder Zack Carroll ranks 25th in the nation and third in the GWLL in face-off win percentage (.537), while defenseman Bryan Gilbreath is 39th in the nation and second in the league in ground balls per game with 4.0. In addition, sophomore attack Vinny Sandtorv ranks 50th nationally in goals per game with 1.88.

How They Rate...
Through games of March 25, Notre Dame ranks in the top 25 nationally in all 12 team statistical categories and are ranked amongst the top 10 in seven categories. The Fighting Irish are tied for first in the nation in win percentage (1.000), are third in ground balls per game (38.14), fifth in scoring margin (5.0), sixth in points per game (19.14), seventh in both scoring offense (12.14) and scoring defense (7.14), and ninth in assists per game (7.0).

Notre Dame also has several players who rank among the top 50 individually, led by goalkeeper Scott Rodgers, who ranks second in save percentage (.637) and sixth in goals against average (7.16), and Ryan Hoff, who ranks 19th in goals per game (2.29).

Road Warriors...
With its ninth game of the season coming up this week, Air Force has yet to play at home. The Falcons, who headed to their fourth road game and have played in five neutral-site contests, are away from home for their first 10 games of the season. After this week, Air Force will play one more true road game 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 scheduled 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.

Who's in Goal?...
The most unpredictable spot in the Air Force lineup this season is clearly the goalkeeper position. In a nod to the depth at the position, the Falcons have had five different starting goalies through the first eight games of the season. The most recent player to earn the starting nod was sophomore Brian Wilson, who has played in a team-high five games and started the game at  Manhattan.

Just two of the five active goalkeepers have started more than one contest. So far, freshman Matt Sanders has seen the most time between the pipes for the Falcons, starting three games and playing a team-high 163:18, while senior Dan Gnazzo, also a long-stick midfielder has started in two game and holds a team-best 7.70 GAA. Also earning starting nods this year have been freshman Josh Kimm and sophomore Woody Johnson.

Winning at the X...
Sophomore Zack Carroll has been solid for the Falcons at the face-off X this season, winning 87-of 162 of his face-off attempts (.537). 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.

A Balanced Offense...
While junior Ridge Flick leads Air Force in points scored through the first eight games of the season with 17, four other players--Vinny Sandtorv, Griffin Nevitt, K.J. Landgraf and Eric Evans--have all tallied more than 10 points each. Sandtorv has registered 16 points, followed by Nevitt (15), Landgraf (14) and Evans (11). In addition, sophomore defenseman Bryan Gilbreath is averaging more than one point per game, with nine points on the season.

In contrast, just three Air Force players finished the 2008 season with more than 10 points--Nevitt led the team with 24 points, while `08 graduates David Rose and Jack Parchman added 21 and 12 points, respectively.

High-Scoring Defense...
In the first eight games of the season, Air Force has seen 20 points (14g, 6a) 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 eight 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 three more goals on the season, while freshman defenseman Dayton Gilbreath tallied his first career goal in the win over Quinnipiac.

Up Next...
The Falcons close out their road swing next week, April 11, when they head to Louisville, Ky., to face conference opponent Bellarmine.

Complete Release in PDF Format