Falcons Host First-Place DU on Saturday
10/9/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Oct. 9, 2008
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Game #11
Air Force Falcons vs. Denver Pioneers
Saturday, Oct. 11, 2008
7 p.m. at Cadet Soccer Stadium
RECORDS
Air Force; 3-7-0, 1-1 MPSF
Denver; 4-5-0, 2-0 MPSF
RECENT RESULTS
Air Force; UNLV, W 1-0; New Mexico L, 0-4
Denver; New Mexico, W 1-0; UNLV, W 1-0
COACHES
Doug Hill (USAFA, 1983)
Air Force; 8-19-1, Second Season
Overall; Same
Bobby Muuss (Connecticut, 1999)
Denver; 14-9-4, Second Season
Overall; Same
Falcons Host DU This Saturday
The Air Force Falcons (3-7, 1-1 MPSF) continue Mountain Pacific Sports Federation play this weekend with a game against MPSF leader Denver on Saturday, Oct. 11 at Cadet Soccer Stadium. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m.
Denver enters the game with a 4-5 overall record and a perfect 2-0 mark in league play.
Split with UNLV & New Mexico
Air Force split a pair of MPSF games at home last weekend, defeating UNLV, 1-0, then falling to New Mexico, 4-0. Junior Steven Noller scored the game's only goal on Friday against UNLV, collecting his fourth goal of the season in the 57th minute. Junior goalie Jim Gullo faced just one shot on goal by the Rebels in posting his second shutout of the season.
Noller Scores in Fourth Straight
Steven Noller leads the team with nine points this season by scoring four goals and adding an assist. With his goal against UNLV last Friday, he scored a goal in four consecutive games, the first Air Force player to accomplish that feat since Ryan Schaeffer during the 1996 campaign.
Noller, who also leads AFA with 19 total shots and 10 shots on goal, did not play in Sunday's game against New Mexico to attend his grandmother's funeral.
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. With Steven Noller's absence, head coach Doug Hill started four freshmen against New Mexico on Sunday.
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 Recaps
Air Force 1, UNLV 0
Oct. 3, 2008 @ USAFA
Offensive opportunities were at a premium Friday night at Cadet Soccer Stadium, but Air Force junior Steven Noller took full advantage of his opportunity, scoring the game's only goal in the 57th minute to lead the Falcon men's soccer team to a 1-0 victory over UNLV. With the victory in the conference opener for both teams, Air Force improved to 3-6 overall and 1-0 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while UNLV fell to 5-3-1 and 0-1 in the MPSF.
Noller scored a beautiful unassisted goal with a rocket shot from 20 yards out that beat UNLV goalie Hawk Mummey and just curved in the right far post. In doing so, Noller became the first Air Force player to score a goal in four straight games since Ryan Schaeffer did the trick during the 1996 season.
Not only was it the only goal of the game, it was the first shot on goal by either team. Air Force freshman Zach Brinlee had a shot on goal later in the second half that Mummey easily saved, and Nicholas Paterson notched the Rebels' only shot on goal with less than 10 minutes remaining in the game. UNLV had its best opportunity with one minute left in the second half when Lamar Neagle had a direct free kick from just outside the goalie box, but he sent the shot just over the crossbar.
The game could not have been closer statistically, as Air Force outshot UNLV 11-10 overall, had six corner kicks to four for UNLV and the foul count was five for Air Force, compared to four for the Rebels.
Mummey and Air Force goalie Jim Gullo each made one save. This was Gullo's second career shutout.
New Mexico 4, Air Force 0
Oct. 5, 2008 @ USAFA
New Mexico scored two goals in each half and Eric Staver notched his second shutout of the season as the Lobo men's soccer team defeated Air Force, 4-0, Sunday at Cadet Soccer Stadium. With the victory, New Mexico improved to 4-4-2 overall and 1-1 in the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation, while the Falcons fell to 3-7 and 1-1 in league play.
New Mexico dominated the game from the opening kickoff and took a 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the game when Jack Smithson sent a corner kick into the box that deflected off Air Force defender Ryan Robinson and snuck past Falcon goalie Jim Gullo.
The Lobos kept on the pressure, collecting premium scoring opportunities throughout the first half. UNM held a 10-6 advantage in total shots and had seven shots on goal, compared to two for the Falcons.
Chris Wright gave the Lobos a 2-0 advantage in the 28th minute when he fired a rocket from 22 yards out that beat Gullo near post. Wright collected the ball from a Falcon defender just outside the goalie box and put away his third goal of the season.
UNM's Simon Ejdemyer made it 3-0 with a header off a corner kick from Justin Davis that sailed over Gullo's outstretched arms and into the net, and Masashi Shibuya scored the game's final goal in the 89th minute. The Lobos ended up with 17 total shots and 11 on goal, while Air Force had eight total shots and three on goal.
Staver made three saves for New Mexico and Gullo had seven for Air Force.
The Falcons entered the game shorthanded as junior Steven Noller, the team's leading scorer and owner of a goal in each of the previous four games, missed today's game to attend his grandmother's funeral.
