Air Force Heads to Michigan for GWLL Tournament
4/29/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 29, 2009
The Air Force lacrosse team heads to Birmingham, Mich., this weekend for the 2009 Great Western Lacrosse League Tournament being held May 1 and 3. The Falcons, seeded second in the tournament, will take on third-seed Ohio State in the 7:30 p.m. (ET) semi-final game on Friday. The championship game is slated for Sunday, May 3, at noon, with the winner earning the league's automatic qualifying spot to the NCAA Tournament.
Last Time Out...
The Air Force lacrosse team captured a 10-7 victory over Denver in its regular-season finale last weekend to move to 7-6 overall and 4-1 in the GWLL.
While Denver took a 2-1 lead in the opening period, the Falcons went on a 6-0 run to distance themselves from the Pioneers. Junior Ridge Flick matched a career high with five points (including a career-best four assists) to lead the Air Force offense, while seniors K.J. Landgraf (3g) and Eric Evans (1g, 2a) added three points each.
Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force captured a second-place finish in the GWLL, posting a 7-6 overall record and 4-1 mark in the league. The Falcons' lone loss in the conference came to undefeated Notre Dame.
Junior Ridge Flick is the Falcons' leading scorer with 34 points on the season, including a team-high 18 assists. Senior K.J. Landgraf, who has notched a team-best 23 goals, is second on the team with 27 points, followed by senior captain Griffin Nevitt (14g, 12a) with 26 points.
Scouting the Buckeyes...
Ohio State, which finished third in the GWLL this year, wrapped up its regular season with a loss to Notre Dame, bringing its overall record to 7-7 (3-2 in the GWLL).
Senior Joel Dalgarno is the Buckeyes' leading scorer with 54 points, with a team-best 30 goals and 24 assists. Meanwhile, Jeff Ryan is the second-leading scorer for Ohio State, tallying 45 points (29g, 16a) on the year. In goal, Brandon Freeman has a 8.77 GAA and .562 save percentage.
Scouting the Fighting Irish...
Notre Dame, currently ranked second in the nation, picked up a road win over Ohio State in its regular-season finale to move its record to a perfect 13-0 on the year (5-0 in the GWLL). Notre Dame, the defending GWLL Tournament champion, is the lone Division I men's team with an unblemished record.
Duncan Swezey paces the Irish offense with 38 points (21 goals and a team-best 17 assists). Four other Notre Dame players have scored at least 20 points on the year, including two others (Neal Hicks and Grant Krebs) with more than 30 points. Meanwhile, Ryan Hoff has a team-high 26 goals on the season. In addition, goalkeeper Scott Rodgers has stopped more than 65 percent of the shots he has faced and holds a 6.25 GAA.
Scouting the Bobcats...
Quinnipiac picked up a close 12-11 victory over Bellarmine in its regular-season finale to wrap up the fourth-seed in this year's tournament. The Bobcats finished the year at 4-8 (2-3 in the league).
Jack Oppenheimer is the leading scorer for Quinnipiac with 25 points (19g, 6a), while Gary Messina has notched a team-best 11 assists on the year.
Air Force in the Statistical Rankings...
In the latest national rankings released by the NCAA (through games of April 26), Air Force ranks in the top 25 in four major team statistical categories. The Falcons rank eighth in the nation in ground balls per game (35.62), 18th in man-down defense (.712), 25th in face-off win percentage (.511) and tied for 25th in overall win percentage (.538).
In addition, the Falcons have a few players who are ranked among the top 50 nationally in various statistical categories. Junior Ridge Flick ranks tied for 26th in the nation and third in the GWLL in assists per game with 1.38. Midfielder Zack Carroll ranks 31st in the nation in face-off win percentage (.518), while long-stick midfielder Dan Gnazzo ranks 45th in the nation and is third in the GWLL in ground balls per game with 3.85.
How The Buckeyes Rate...
Through games of April 26, Ohio State ranks in the top 25 nationally in seven team statistical categories, with five categories ranked in the top 20. The Buckeyes are 12th in assists per game (6.64), 16th in points per game (16.93), 18th in saves per game (11.57) and 19th in both scoring offense (10.29) and scoring margin (1.71).
Ohio State had three players who rank among the top 50 nationally in individual statistics. Joel Dalgarno is sixth in the nation in points per game (3.79), 12th in assists per game (1.64) and tied for 26th in goals per game (2.14). Jeff Ryan is also ranked in the same three categories, rating tied for 22nd in points per game (3.21), tied for 31st in goals per game (2.07) and tied for 42nd in assists per game (1.14). Meanwhile, goalkeeper Brandon Freeman rates 19th in the nation in save percentage (.563) and 26th in goals against average (8.78).
How The Fighting Irish Rate...
Through games of April 26, Notre Dame ranks in the top 20 nationally in all 11 major team statistical categories, with six categories ranked in the top 10. The Fighting Irish lead the nation in overall win percentage (1.000) and scoring defense (6.23), while ranking second in scoring margin (5.31), fourth in ground balls per game (37.69), and ninth in both points per game (18.15) and scoring offense (11.54).
Notre Dame has several players who rank among the top 50 nationally in individual statistics, including goalkeeper Scott Rodgers, who leads the nation in goals against average (6.26) and is second in save percentage (.655). In face-off win percentage, Trever Sipperly (.535) and Jake Marmul (.528) rank 25th and 28th, respectively. Duncan Swezey rates tied for 30th in the nation in assists per game (1.31) and tied for 42nd in points per game (2.92), while Regis McDermott rates 31st nationally in ground balls per game (4.18). Peter Christman ranks tied for 32nd in assists per game (1.23), while Ryan Hoff (2.0) and Grant Krebs (1.92) rate tied for 34th and tied for 42nd, respectively, in goals per game.
How The Bobcats Rate...
Through games of April 26, Quinnipiac ranks in the top 30 nationally in three team statistical categories, including ground balls per game (tied for 25th with 30.0). The Bobcats also rank 28th in assists per game (5.17) and 30th in man-down defense (.661).
Quinnipiac also has a pair of players who rank among the top 50 in individual statistics. Midfielder Ben Mullaney ranks second in the conference and 22nd in the nation in ground balls per game (5.33) and is 33rd in the nation in face-off win percentage (.512). Meanwhile, goalkeeper Kevin Benzing ranks 28th in goals against average (9.26) and 30th in save percentage (.538).
Winning in the GWLL...
With its four GWLL wins, Air Force claimed its highest-ever conference win total. Previous to this season, the Falcons' best conference record in the six-team GWLL was 2-3, with the team recording that mark on three occasions--in 2002, 2004 and 2006. Meanwhile, Air Force has won three GWLL contests in a single season just one other time since the league's inception in 1994. The Falcons went 3-1 in the GWLL in 1995, defeating Ohio State, Michigan State and Butler, while falling to Notre Dame.
This season, the Falcons have also matched their best-ever conference finish (second). Air Force also claimed second place in the GWLL in 1995. Since then, the Falcons have placed above fourth just once, finishing third in the league in 1997 with a 1-1 mark.
GWLL Player of the Week...
Junior Ridge Flick earned GWLL Player of the Week honors following his performance against Denver. Flick matched a career-high five points with one goal and a career-best four assists to help lead the Falcons to 10-7 conference victory over the Pioneers in the team's regular-season finale. With the win, Air Force secured its best-ever GWLL finish with a 4-1 record and snapped a six-game losing streak versus Denver.
Flick's selection as GWLL Player of the Week is his second of the season and the fourth for a Falcon this year. Notre Dame's Scott Rodgers is the only other player in the conference to earn multiple weekly awards this season. Meanwhile, Air Force and Notre Dame lead the league in GWLL honorees in 2009 with four each.
Air Force Player of the Week...
In addition to earning GWLL Player of the Week honors following the Denver game, junior Ridge Flick was also named the Air Force Athlete of the Week. It marked the first time in his career that Flick has garnered the honor, and the second time this season that a lacrosse player has earned the distinction.
Ending A Streak...
Air Force's 10-7 victory over Denver on Saturday snapped the Falcons' six-game losing streak to their in-state rivals. The last time Air Force had defeated Denver was in 2002, when the Falcons registered a 6-5 home victory over the Pioneers.
Continuing A Streak...
The Falcons have now won four games in a row, their longest winning streak since the 2006 season, when Air Force rattled off four straight victories. It is also just the second time since the 1997 season that the Falcons have won more than two games in a row.
Road Warriors...
This season, the Falcons have truly been "road warriors," playing 11 of their 13 regular-season contests away from home. The team's first--and last--two home games came April 18-19 against Ohio State and Detroit. Air Force has already played in six "true" road games, along with five neutral-site contests, and will play in at least one more neutral-site contest this weekend.
Air Force is one of just two Division I men's lacrosse teams scheduled to play fewer than five home games during the season. The other is first-year program Detroit, which had just one home contest on its schedule.
A Balanced Offense...
While junior Ridge Flick leads Air Force in points scored with 34, four other players--K.J. Landgraf, Griffin Nevitt, Vinny Sandtorv and Eric Evans--have all tallied at least 20 points. Landgraf has registered 27 points, followed by Nevitt (26), Sandtorv (23) and Evans (20). In addition, two other Falcons--sophomore defenseman Bryan Gilbreath and senior long-stick midfielder Dan Gnazzo--have both reached double-digits in scoring, with 13 and 11 points, respectively.
In contrast, just three Air Force players finished the 2008 season with more than 10 points--Nevitt led the team with 24 points, while `08 graduates David Rose and Jack Parchman added 21 and 12 points, respectively.
Wilson Settling In...
While sophomore goalkeeper Brian Wilson saw action in four of the Falcons' first seven games, he earned his first start of the season against Manhattan and has been in the starting lineup ever since. Wilson, who owns a team-best 7.57 goals against average and .540 save percentage for the season, has been even stronger as a starter, with a 7.16 GAA and .557 save percentage in the past six games. His save percentage in conference games in even higher, stopping over 57 percent of the shots he has faced.
Although Wilson does not qualify to be ranked in national statistics (goalkeepers must have played in at least 60 percent of their team's minutes), his numbers compare favorably. His overall save percentage would rank in the top 30 nationally, while his 7.57 GAA would rank in the top 10 nationally and second in the GWLL (behind Notre Dame's nation-leading Scott Rodgers).
