Air Force Academy

April 21, 2010

The Air Force lacrosse team hits the road this weekend, April 24, to face ECAC rival Ohio State in this year's "Showdown in the Shoe." The game, which is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. (ET), will be held in Ohio Stadium prior to the Buckeyes' spring football game.

Watch It on TV...
This week's contest between Air Force and Ohio State will be broadcast live on the Big Ten Network. On-air talent for the game will be Mark Larson (play-by-play) and Greg Bice (analyst).

The Big Ten Network is available in up to 75 million households nationwide. Viewers in Colorado can watch the game on DIRECTV (Channel 610), Dish Network (Channel 439) or Comcast (Channel 181). For more information on network availability, visit bigtennetwork.com.

Follow it on the Web...
Live stats for Saturday's game will be available at ohiostatebuckeyes.com, as well as via a direct link on goairforcefalcons.com. In addition, an audio stream of the Buckeyes' student radio broadcast will be available at ohiostatesports.net.

Last Time Out...
Playing in a defensive battle, the Air Force lacrosse team came up short in a 4-3 contest to 18th-ranked Fairfield last weekend at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium.

Jimmy Curran, Ridge Flick and Vinny Sandtorv each scored a goal for the Falcons in the contest. Meanwhile, sophomore goalkeeper Matt Sanders registered 11 saves and just four goals against in 60 minutes of action.

Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force enters this weekend's contest with a 1-10 overall record and 0-4 mark in the ECAC Lacrosse League.

Junior Zack Carroll is the Falcons' leading scorer on the season with 24 points, including a team-best 16 goals. Three other players have scored at least 20 points on the season. Senior Ridge Flick (12g, 10a) is second on the team with 22 points, followed by sophomore Adam Paranka (10g, 11a) with 21 points and Vinny Sandtorv with 20 points (15g, 5a).

The Buckeyes are coached by Nick Myers, in his second year at the helm of the program. Freshman Logan Schuss has recorded a team-best 39 points (20g, 19a), while classmate Jeff Tundo is second on the team with 29 points (19g, 10a). Meanwhile, senior Jeff Green leads Ohio State with 21 goals on the year.

Series Records...
This weekend marks the 26th match-up all-time between Air Force and Ohio State, with the Buckeyes leading the series, 15-10. The teams met twice in 2009, with the Falcons winning a 9-6 regular-season contest, while the Buckeyes picked up a 10-5 victory in the GWLL Tournament.

Air Force in the Statistical Rankings...
In the latest national statistical rankings released by the NCAA (through games of April 18), Air Force ranks in the top 30 in a pair of team categories. The Falcons rank 16th in caused turnovers per game (8.91) and are 27th in scoring defense (9.73).

In addition, the Falcons have a few players who are ranked among the top 35 nationally in various individual statistical categories. Junior defenseman Bryan Gilbreath leads the ECAC and is fourth in the nation in caused turnovers per game (2.36) and is 10th in the nation (and second in the conference) in ground balls per game (5.64). Goalkeeper Brian Wilson ranks 31st in the country in goals against average (10.08), while Benson Oldmixon is tied for 33rd nationally in caused turnovers per game (1.44).

How They Rate...
Through games of April 18, Ohio State ranks in the top 20 in the nation in man-up offense (6th/.500), saves per game (11th/12.0), turnovers per game (14th/15.67), shot percentage (15th/.315) and scoring defense (16th/8.83).

The Buckeyes are led individually by goalkeeper Brandon Freeman, who ranks 16th nationally in save percentage (.566) and 22nd in goals against average (9.15). Jeff Tundo ranks tied for 25th in the nation in shot percentage (.432), while Logan Schuss is tied for 27th in assists per game (1.58).

It's All About the Defense...
The four goals scored by 18th-ranked Fairfield on Saturday were a season low for an Air Force opponent, and the fewest allowed by the Falcons since 2008, when Presbyterian tallied four scores in an Air Force victory.

Saturday's game was the second time this season that the Falcons have held an opponent to five goals or less. Air Force also allowed just five goals in its game versus Siena on March 23.

Among the leaders for the Air Force defense is junior Bryan Gilbreath, who recorded a game-high seven ground balls and four caused turnovers against Fairfield. Gilbreath is now averaging 5.64 ground balls per game on the season, along with 2.36 caused turnovers, marks which rank in the top 10 nationally.

Making the Saves...
Sophomore Matt Sanders has played well between the pipes for Air Force in the last three contests. Sanders, who started his second game of the season on Saturday, recorded 11 saves against Fairfiled while allowing just four goals. His performance (.733 save percentage) marked the second time in the past three games that Sanders has recorded a save percentage of over 70 percent. He also posted a career-best .750 save percentage against Quinnipiac on April 9, tallying nine saves and allowing just three goals in 45 minutes of action.

Meanwhile, in his first start of the season, Sanders recorded a career-best 13 saves against Bellarmine.

In the past three games combined, Sanders has recorded a save percentage of .647 and a 6.55 goals against average.

Offense Out of Defense...
Two of the Falcons' three goals against Fairfield last weekend were set up by defensive plays, resulting in a pair of Air Force players recording their first career points. Junior Michael Duenes, a short-stick defensive middie, was able to capitalize on a turnover by the Stags, setting up senior Jimmy Curran for the first goal of the game.

Meanwhile, late in the second period, junior defenseman Benson Oldmixon picked up a loose ball after a deflected Fairfield shot and carried it down the field before connecting with senior Ridge Flick for the Falcons' second goal of the game to tie the contest.

Up Next...
The Falcons travel to Geneva, N.Y., next weekend, May 1, to take on Hobart in an ECAC contest. The game is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. (ET).

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