Air Force Academy
Denver
Falcons Fall to Denver in Season Finale, 9-5
5/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
May 3, 2003
The Air Force Academy men's lacrosse team finished its 2003 season with a 9-5 loss to Denver at Pioneer Field today. Air Force ends the season 3-10 overall and 1-4 in the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL). Air Force had an early lead, but couldn't manage the offense necessary to maintain the lead.
The Falcons looked to play spoiler role early in the game by scoring the first two goals. Adam Gaudinski and Eric Lederer scored back-to-back unassisted goals to give Air Force a 2-0 lead. Denver would notch the next two goals however, and teh score was tied at the end of the first quarter.
The two teams would exchange goals to open the second quarter, with Denver strinking first followed by a goal by AFA's James Borrell. The Pioneers would take a commanding lead into the break, scoring the three consecutive goals to close out the quarter. They led 6-3 at the break.
The third quarter turned into a defensive battle, with the Falcons scoring the only goal to pull within one. Borrell would score the lone goal of the quarter, marking the first two-goal game of his young career. The Falcons outshot Denver 12-3 but Pioneer goalkeeper Jeff Nunziato held his squad in the game with five saves.
"Their goalkeeper got hot and we couldn't find a way to score," head coach Fred Acee said. "We certainly had our opportunities, but couldn't capitalize.
Denver came out firing in the fourth, scoring three of the game's final four goals. The Falcons would find the back of the net one last time with Gaudinski's second goal of the game, but the margin was already too great to overcome.
Air Force did an excellent job on face offs, winning 13 of 18 opportunities. They also had more groundballs (29-26) and more shots (34-30) than Denver. Goalkeeper William Arnold had 10 saves in the loss. He finishes his career ranked third on the Academy's career leader list for saves.
