Falcons Travel to California This Weekend
10/16/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 16, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game #12
Air Force Falcons vs. Sacramento State Hornets
Friday, Oct. 17, 2008
4 p.m. (PT) at Sacramento, CA
Game #13
Air Force Falcons vs. San Jose State Spartans
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008
1 p.m. (PT) at San Jose, CA
RECORDS
Air Force -- 3-8-0, 1-2 MPSF
Sacramento State -- 6-4-2, 1-2 MPSF
San Jose State -- 4-4-3, 0-3 MPSF
RECENT RESULTS
Air Force -- UNLV, W 1-0; New Mexico L, 0-4
Sacramento State -- @ New Mexico, L 2-1; @ UNLV, L 4-1
San Jose State -- @ UNLV, L 2-1; @ New Mexico, L 1-0 (ot)
COACHES
Doug Hill (USAFA, 1983)
Air Force; 8-20-1, Second Season
Overall; Same
Michael Linenberger (Duke, 1987)
Sacramento State; 123-205-33, 20th Season
Overall; Same
Gary St. Clair (San Jose State, 1976)
San Jose State; 175-161-28, 19th Season
Overall; Same
Falcons in Calif. for Two Games
The Air Force Falcons (3-8, 1-2 MPSF) play their first road conference games this weekend on the West Coast. On Friday, Oct. 17, the Falcons will play at Sacramento State beginning at 4 p.m., then on Sunday, Oct. 19, Air Force battles San Jose State at 1 p.m.
Sacramento State enters Friday's game with a 6-4-2 overall record and a 1-2 mark in MPSF play, while San Jose State, which hosts Denver on Friday, is 4-4-3 overall and 0-3 in league action.
Falcons Drop Home Game to DU
Air Force lost a home game last Saturday night to MPSF-leading Denver, 1-0. The Falcons mustered just three shots on goal on a cold and foggy night at Cadet Soccer Stadium. Junior goalie Jim Gullo tied his career high with eight saves, but couldn't handle a rocket from Kyle Christensen in the 59th minute that found the back of the net.
Noller's Streak Ends at Four
Steven Noller had his four-game goal scoring streak end last Saturday against Denver. Noller, who continues to lead the team with nine points this season on four goals and one assist, was the first Air Force player to score in four straight games since Ryan Schaeffer during the 1996 campaign.
Noller, who also leads AFA with 21 total shots and 10 shots on goal, is tied for fourth in the MPSF with 0.90 points per game. He is also tied for third with four goals.
Freshmen Seeing Plenty of Action
With just two seniors on the team this season, several underclassmen, including a number of freshmen, are seeing planty of playing time. Head coach Doug Hill started three freshmen against Denver on Saturday and two of AFA's three subs were freshmen.
In fact, seven freshmen have played for Air Force this season and freshman Zach Brinlee is second on the team with four points.
Last Weekend's Recap
Denver 1, Air Force 0
Oct. 11, 2008 @ USAFA
Kyle Christensen scored the game's only goal and Joe Willis posted his third shutout of the season to lead the University of Denver men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over Air Force Saturday night at a foggy and cold Cadet Soccer Stadium. With the win, Denver evened its overall record at 5-5 and remains in first place in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation with a 3-0 league record. The Falcons, meanwhile, fell to 3-8 overall and 1-2 in MPSF action.
Christensen took a pass from Sam Garza and fired a shot from 16 yards out that beat Air Force goalie Jim Gullo in the 59th minute. Collin Audley started the play with a run down the middle of the field, then fed a cutting Garza, who found Christensen open just inside the top of the goalie box.
DU then applied defensive pressure from then on, allowing the Falcons just one shot on goal the rest of the game. Air Force's Aaron Eshkenazi had two solid scoring opportunities in the first half, both headers off of corner kicks. In the 24th minute, Eshkenazi was just in front of the net, but his point-blank header was saved nicely by Willis. Then, with five seconds remaining in the half, his header glanced off the crossbar and went just over the net.
Gullo tied his career-high with eight saves for Air Force, while Willis saved all three shots on goal by the Falcons. DU held an 18-12 advantage in total shots, while Air Force took nine corner kicks, compared to five for Denver.
