Air Force Visits No. 6 Maryland
3/12/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
March 12, 2008
The Air Force lacrosse team is back in action this weekend, March 16, when they travel to College Park, Md., to take on sixth-ranked Maryland. The game is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. (ET) at Ludwig Field.
Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force (1-3) dropped a pair of contests to Ivy League rivals at the Pioneer Face-off Classic over the weekend, falling to Penn, 13-10, while losing to Brown, 13-7. Juniors Griffin Nevitt and Dan Gnazzo were each named to the all-tournament team at the end of the weekend.
Nevitt is the Falcons' leading scorer with six goals and three assists on the season, while senior David Rose is right behind with six goals and two assists.
Scouting the Terrapins...
Maryland (4-1), ranked sixth in both the USILA coaches poll and Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll, is coming off a 12-7 victory over 18th-ranked Towson. The Terps' lone loss came to second-ranked Duke. Maryland will visit No. 20 UMBC on Friday before hosting the Falcons on Sunday.
The Terrapins have four players with at least 10 points each, including Ryan Young (6g, 9a) and Travis Reed (13g, 1a). Meanwhile, Jason Carter and Brian Phipps have split the bulk of the time in the goal, combining for 42 saves on the season.
The Teams...
• Air Force enters this weekend's contest with a 1-3 record.
• Maryland, ranked sixth in the latest USILA coaches poll, currently holds a 4-1 overall record and will visit No. 20 UMBC before hosting the Falcons this weekend.
The Coaches...
• Air Force is coached by Fred Acee, in his 11th season with the Falcons. Acee holds a 348-217-1 career record (41st year) and a 36-98 mark at the Academy.
• Maryland is coached by Dave Cottle, in his seventh season at the helm of the Terrapins' program. Cottle holds a career record of 252-99 (26th season) and is 71-29 at Maryland.
Series Records...
This weekend marks the fifth meeting all-time between Air Force and Maryland, with the Terps undefeated against the Falcons. The last meeting between the two teams was a 16-3 UM win in 2001.
Air Force in the Statistical Rankings...
In the latest national rankings through games of March 17, Air Force ranks tied for 21st in the nation in man-up offense (.333).
Meanwhile, juniors Eric Evans and Griffin Nevitt, who lead the GWLL in ground balls per game (4.75), rank tied for 26th nationally in the same category. Classmate Dan Gnazzo is ranked tied for 32nd in the nation with 4.5 ground balls per contest.
How They Rate...
Maryland ranks in the top 25 nationally in all major statistical categories. The Terrapins are tied for seventh in scoring offense (12.00), 10th in man-up offense (.438), tied for 10th in scoring margin (+4.0), tied for 14th in man-down defense (.786), 16th in face-off percentage (.543) and tied for 22nd in scoring defense (8.0).
Individually, Travis Reed ranks tied for 14th in the country with 2.6 goals per game, Ryan Young is tied for 14th with 1.8 assists per game and Bryn Holmes is seventh in face-off win percentage at .611.
All Pioneer Face-off Classic...
Juniors Griffin Nevitt and Dan Gnazzo were each named to the all-tournament team at this year's Pioneer Face-off Classic. Nevitt, who led the Falcons in scoring with six goals and an assist on the weekend, was named to the all-tournament team for the third-straight season.
Meanwhile, Gnazzo, who scored his first career goal in Air Force's loss to Brown, was named to the all-tournament team for the second-straight year after recording nine ground balls and three caused turnovers over the weekend.
Keeping the Streak Alive...
Junior Griffin Nevitt will look to keep his scoring streak alive this weekend, as the midfielder has scored at least one goal or assist in 29 consecutive games. Nevitt, who has 51 goals and 27 assists in his career, has scored in 31 of 32 games in his first two-plus seasons.
Up Next...
The Falcons open up conference play next weekend, March 22, when they host eighth-ranked Notre Dame. The GWLL opener for both teams is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. at the Cadet Lacrosse Stadium.
