Falcons Fall To 11th-Ranked Notre Dame
4/13/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 13, 2007
South Bend, Ind. - With limited scoring opportunities, the Air Force lacrosse team dropped a 16-4 contest to No. 11 Notre Dame Friday at Moose Krause Stadium. The Falcons drop to 2-6 on the season, 1-1 in the Great Western Lacrosse League, while the Irish improve to 7-3, 2-0 in the league.
The Irish led 1-0 before an unassisted score by senior Justin Kuchta (Ridgefield, Conn.) tied it up with 9:02 left in the openning quarter. However, Notre Dame came back with three straight scores to close out the first period, including a goal with just three seconds on the clock, to take a 4-1 lead into the second quarter.
Neither team was able to get on the scoreboard in the second period, despite several opportunities for both teams. Notre Dame controlled the pace for most of the quarter, outshooting Air Force 13-5, but goalkeeper Dan Gnazzo (So., Eden Prairie, Minn.) was outstanding between the pipes for the Falcons, recording nine saves in the period.
Notre Dame exploded in the third period, scoring four unanswered goals before allowing Air Force to get back on the board with a goal from sophomore Griffin Nevitt (Charlotte, N.C.). The Irish finished the third quarter by outscoring the Falcons 8-2 to grab a 12-3 advantage heading into the final period. Notre Dame then added three more scores in the fourth quarter to run away with the 16-4 victory.
The Irish outshot the Falcons 50-23 for the game and dominated on face-offs, winning 18-of-23. Notre Dame also capitalized on their extra-man opportunities, scoring on 3-of-5 man-up chances, while Air Force was 1-of-3 on the EMO.
Kuchta was the Falcons' leading scorer with one goal and two assists, Conrad Lochocki (Sr., Chalfont, Pa.) added one goal and one assist. Scoring the other goals for Air Force were Nevitt and Will Meister (Sr., Denver, Colo.). Meanwhile, Gnazzo finished the game with 13 saves and 10 goals against.
For the Fighting Irish, Michael Podgagny, Alex Wharton and Brian Hubschmann scored three goals each.
The Falcons are back in action Sunday afternoon, when they travel to GWLL opponent Bellarmine for a 12:00 p.m. (ET) contest.
No. 11 Notre Dame 16, Air Force 4
Air Force Scoring: Goals: Justin Kuchta, Griffin Nevitt, Conrad Lochocki, Will Meister. Assists: Justin Kuchta 2, Conrad Lochocki.
Notre Dame Scoring: Goals: Brian Hubschmann 3, Michael Podgagny 3, Alex Wharton 3, Will Yeatman 2, Ryan Hoff 2, John Greaney, Duncan Swezey, Neal Hicks. Assists: Lucius Polk 3, Will Yeatman 2, Alex Wharton, Davey Leach, Ryan Cunn, Michael Podgagny, Kelly McKenna, Duncan Swezey
