Falcons Open 2006 Season vs. Arch-Rival Army on Friday
8/23/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Air Force vs. ArmyFriday, August 25, 7 p.m.Cadet Soccer Stadium
2005 Records: Air Force was 8-9-2 overall and 6-3-1 in the MPSF (3rd) Army was 4-13-1 overall and 1-6-0 in the Patriot League (8th)
Coaches: Air Force is coached by Lou Sagastume (San Francisco, 1968), who is in his 28th season with the Falcons. Sagastume has a record of 277-176-42 at the Academy and a career mark of 298-183-42 in 29 seasons.
Army is coached by Kurt Swanbeck (Columbia, 1981), who is in his fifth season with the Black Knights. He is 14-45-12 at Army. He has a 159-160-21 career record in 18 seasons.
Top Players: Air Force's top returning scorer is sophomore Reid Gaiser, who finished fourth on the team last season with seven points (3g, 1a). Junior co-captain Brian Guyette returns as the team's top goalkeeper after posting a 6-6-2 record and a 1.38 goals-against average last season. Army's top returning scorer is senior Adrain Mareno, who tallied 12 points last season on five goals and two assists. Junior Chase Hunter added eight points and sophomore John-Michael Gollogly had a 1.71 GAA.
Last Meeting: Air Force used a goal in the final minute of regulation by senior David Schill to defeat Army 1-0 in the 2005 season opener at West Point.
50 Years of Air Force Soccer This season marks the 51st year of varsity soccer for Air Force. This is Air Force's 11th season in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. AFA was a member of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Soccer League from 1956-1988 before joining the MPSF for four years from '92-95. The Falcons then joined the Western Athletic Conference for three years before re-joining the MPSF in 1999.
MPSF Preseason Poll Air Force was picked fifth in this season's MPSF preseason coaches poll.
School (First Place Votes) Pts1. New Mexico (5) 252. Sacramento State (1) 19 San Jose State 194. Denver 105. Air Force 96. UNLV 8
Two Tourney Teams on Schedule Two of Air Force's 13 opponents received a bid to the NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament last season. Defending MPSF champion New Mexico lost in the championship game, while Creighton advanced to the quarterfinals.
Sagastume Shooting for 300 Air Force head coach Lou Sagastume enters the 2006 season with 298 career victories, which places him 12th on the list of the Division I winningest active coaches. Sagastume has a career record of 298-183-42 over 29 years, and has a record of 277-176-42 in his 27 seasons at Air Force.
Guyette, McNabb All-MPSF in 2005 Junior co-captain Brian Guyette and senior Duncan McNabb were named to the all-MPSF second-team last season. Guyette led the league in saves while McNabb had five points.
2006 Season Outlook The Air Force men's soccer team has been on the verge of a breakout season in each of the last three years. Last season, the Falcons rebounded from a rough 2-6-1 start to end the season on a 6-3-1 run and come within one game of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Lou Sagastume, who enters his 28th season at the helm, hopes his team can carry that momentum for the entire '06 campaign. "We were very close to winning the conference last season and making the NCAA Tournament," said Sagastume. "I hope that our returners keep the intensity they had the second half of last season and this spring." Some big shoes will need to be filled on the front line this season. Muir and Schill combined for 56 percent of the team's goals (14-of-25) and 35 percent of the assists (9-of-26) in 2005. Sophomore Reid Gaiser, the team's top returning scorer, notched three goals and one assist for seven points in '05. Two of his goals were game-winners, at Denver and at UNLV, and five of his 11 total shots were on goal. Gaiser tied for third in the conference among freshmen scorers. Seniors Damon Wong and Nathan Holloway will have to produce in '06 after playing in just eight and four games, respectively, last season due to injuries. Wong did score one goal and added two assists before his season was cut short. Senior Duncan McNabb and junior Andy Nigro showed flashes of brilliance from the midfield position last season. Each finished the season with five points, McNabb scoring one goal and adding three assists, while Nigro put home two goals and had one assist. McNabb, one of only two underclassmen to start every game, was a second-team all-MPSF selection. The only goal of his career came in a 2-0 victory over Florida Atlantic. Nigro's first career goal was the other goal, the game-winner, against Florida Atlantic. He was fifth on the team with 20 total shots, seven of them on goal. Also returning to the midfield are juniors Steven Locker and Chris Mathews. Locker saw action in 13 games last season and scored his only career goal in AFA's 3-2 loss to Washington. Mathews, meanwhile, did not score and attempted one shot in the 11 games he played. Despite the loss of last year's co-captains, Todd Myers and Clay McGillivray, as well as Leung, Sagastume should feel pretty confident in his back line. Senior co-captain Brendan Greenaway and junior Jason Belvill headline the group of defenders. Greenaway is as physical a player as there is in the MPSF. He started 18 of the team's 19 games last season and is a solid player in the air. Despite playing defense, Greenaway was fourth on the team in shots attempted with 29 and shots on goal with 13. He scored one goal during the season in a 3-2 win over San Jose State. Belvill, who started 14 games in 2005, posted two assists. Sagastume will be even more pleased with his defensive corps if junior Ian Hauck returns to the playing field after missing the entire '05 season with an injury. Hauck played in 18 of the team's 19 games and started seven as a freshman. Sophomore Jason Dall also returns after seeing action in six games last year. Junior co-captain Brian Guyette pulled away as the team's No. 1 goalie late in the 2005 season. Guyette, a second-team all-MPSF selection, finished fifth in the league with a 1.38 goals-against average, the lowest by a Falcon since the 2001 season. He posted a 6-6-2 record with four shutouts, including a 2-0 victory over in-state rival Denver when he had a career-high 10 saves. Guyette will be pushed by senior Paul Elsbernd, who was the team's primary goalie two years ago. Elsbernd appeared in six games last season, posting a 2-3 record. Both of his wins were shutouts. He had a 1.92 GAA and tied his career-high with seven saves vs. Washington.
2005 Records: Air Force was 8-9-2 overall and 6-3-1 in the MPSF (3rd) Army was 4-13-1 overall and 1-6-0 in the Patriot League (8th)
Coaches: Air Force is coached by Lou Sagastume (San Francisco, 1968), who is in his 28th season with the Falcons. Sagastume has a record of 277-176-42 at the Academy and a career mark of 298-183-42 in 29 seasons.
Army is coached by Kurt Swanbeck (Columbia, 1981), who is in his fifth season with the Black Knights. He is 14-45-12 at Army. He has a 159-160-21 career record in 18 seasons.
Top Players: Air Force's top returning scorer is sophomore Reid Gaiser, who finished fourth on the team last season with seven points (3g, 1a). Junior co-captain Brian Guyette returns as the team's top goalkeeper after posting a 6-6-2 record and a 1.38 goals-against average last season. Army's top returning scorer is senior Adrain Mareno, who tallied 12 points last season on five goals and two assists. Junior Chase Hunter added eight points and sophomore John-Michael Gollogly had a 1.71 GAA.
Last Meeting: Air Force used a goal in the final minute of regulation by senior David Schill to defeat Army 1-0 in the 2005 season opener at West Point.
50 Years of Air Force Soccer This season marks the 51st year of varsity soccer for Air Force. This is Air Force's 11th season in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation. AFA was a member of the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Soccer League from 1956-1988 before joining the MPSF for four years from '92-95. The Falcons then joined the Western Athletic Conference for three years before re-joining the MPSF in 1999.
MPSF Preseason Poll Air Force was picked fifth in this season's MPSF preseason coaches poll.
School (First Place Votes) Pts1. New Mexico (5) 252. Sacramento State (1) 19 San Jose State 194. Denver 105. Air Force 96. UNLV 8
Two Tourney Teams on Schedule Two of Air Force's 13 opponents received a bid to the NCAA Division I Soccer Tournament last season. Defending MPSF champion New Mexico lost in the championship game, while Creighton advanced to the quarterfinals.
Sagastume Shooting for 300 Air Force head coach Lou Sagastume enters the 2006 season with 298 career victories, which places him 12th on the list of the Division I winningest active coaches. Sagastume has a career record of 298-183-42 over 29 years, and has a record of 277-176-42 in his 27 seasons at Air Force.
Guyette, McNabb All-MPSF in 2005 Junior co-captain Brian Guyette and senior Duncan McNabb were named to the all-MPSF second-team last season. Guyette led the league in saves while McNabb had five points.
2006 Season Outlook The Air Force men's soccer team has been on the verge of a breakout season in each of the last three years. Last season, the Falcons rebounded from a rough 2-6-1 start to end the season on a 6-3-1 run and come within one game of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. Head coach Lou Sagastume, who enters his 28th season at the helm, hopes his team can carry that momentum for the entire '06 campaign. "We were very close to winning the conference last season and making the NCAA Tournament," said Sagastume. "I hope that our returners keep the intensity they had the second half of last season and this spring." Some big shoes will need to be filled on the front line this season. Muir and Schill combined for 56 percent of the team's goals (14-of-25) and 35 percent of the assists (9-of-26) in 2005. Sophomore Reid Gaiser, the team's top returning scorer, notched three goals and one assist for seven points in '05. Two of his goals were game-winners, at Denver and at UNLV, and five of his 11 total shots were on goal. Gaiser tied for third in the conference among freshmen scorers. Seniors Damon Wong and Nathan Holloway will have to produce in '06 after playing in just eight and four games, respectively, last season due to injuries. Wong did score one goal and added two assists before his season was cut short. Senior Duncan McNabb and junior Andy Nigro showed flashes of brilliance from the midfield position last season. Each finished the season with five points, McNabb scoring one goal and adding three assists, while Nigro put home two goals and had one assist. McNabb, one of only two underclassmen to start every game, was a second-team all-MPSF selection. The only goal of his career came in a 2-0 victory over Florida Atlantic. Nigro's first career goal was the other goal, the game-winner, against Florida Atlantic. He was fifth on the team with 20 total shots, seven of them on goal. Also returning to the midfield are juniors Steven Locker and Chris Mathews. Locker saw action in 13 games last season and scored his only career goal in AFA's 3-2 loss to Washington. Mathews, meanwhile, did not score and attempted one shot in the 11 games he played. Despite the loss of last year's co-captains, Todd Myers and Clay McGillivray, as well as Leung, Sagastume should feel pretty confident in his back line. Senior co-captain Brendan Greenaway and junior Jason Belvill headline the group of defenders. Greenaway is as physical a player as there is in the MPSF. He started 18 of the team's 19 games last season and is a solid player in the air. Despite playing defense, Greenaway was fourth on the team in shots attempted with 29 and shots on goal with 13. He scored one goal during the season in a 3-2 win over San Jose State. Belvill, who started 14 games in 2005, posted two assists. Sagastume will be even more pleased with his defensive corps if junior Ian Hauck returns to the playing field after missing the entire '05 season with an injury. Hauck played in 18 of the team's 19 games and started seven as a freshman. Sophomore Jason Dall also returns after seeing action in six games last year. Junior co-captain Brian Guyette pulled away as the team's No. 1 goalie late in the 2005 season. Guyette, a second-team all-MPSF selection, finished fifth in the league with a 1.38 goals-against average, the lowest by a Falcon since the 2001 season. He posted a 6-6-2 record with four shutouts, including a 2-0 victory over in-state rival Denver when he had a career-high 10 saves. Guyette will be pushed by senior Paul Elsbernd, who was the team's primary goalie two years ago. Elsbernd appeared in six games last season, posting a 2-3 record. Both of his wins were shutouts. He had a 1.92 GAA and tied his career-high with seven saves vs. Washington.
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