Air Force Academy
Denver
Falcons Fall to Denver on the Road
3/27/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
March 27, 2010
DENVER, Colo. -
In a close game versus its in-state rival, the Air Force lacrosse team dropped a 9-6 road contest to Denver Saturday afternoon at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium. With the loss, the Falcons fall to 1-6 on the year, while the Pioneers improve to 5-4 overall.
Air Force struck first in the contest, getting on the board at the 11:46 mark in the opening period as junior Zack Carroll (Freehold Township, N.J.) registered an unassisted goal. The Pioneers scored the equalizer with 5:22 on the clock and added two more goals in the final four minutes of the period to take a 3-1 advantage.
Denver continued its scoring spurt in the second period, tallying three unanswered goals to extend its lead to five. The Falcons got back on the board with just under three minutes to play in the period, as junior captain Vinny Sandtorv (Centereach, N.Y.) scored on an assist from freshman Ben Cullen (Collierville, Tenn.). Cullen, playing in his first collegiate game, then added his first career goal, assisted by Adam Paranka (So., Denver, Colo.) to cut the margin to 6-3.
The third period proved to be a defensive battle for both teams, with just one goal scored in the quarter. Paranka broke through with his only goal of the game at the 4:55 mark to bring the Falcons back within two goals going into the final stanza.
Midway through the last quarter, the Pioneers broke a 27-minute scoreless drought to earn a 7-4 advantage in the contest, followed by back-to-back scores with just under five minutes remaining on the clock. Air Force closed out the game with scores from Tristan Newkirk (Jr., Albany, N.Y.) and Sandtorv, but came up short in the 9-6 decision.
Air Force held the advantage in nearly every statistical category, outshooting Denver, 30-21, and scooping up 36 ground balls to the Pioneers' 26. In addition, the Falcons dominated at the face-off X, winning 13-of-18 face-offs in the game. Carroll led the way winning nine face-offs, while sophomore John DeBonis (Sayville, N.Y.) won 4-of-6 face-offs.
The Falcons wrap up their four-game road swing next weekend, April 3, when they travel to Moon Township, Pa., to take on Robert Morris in a non-conference match-up.
Denver 9, Air Force 6
Air Force 1 2 1 2 6
Denver 3 3 0 3 9
AF Scoring: Goals: Vinny Sandtorv 2, Zack Carroll, Ben Cullen, Adam Paranka, Tristan Newkirk. Assists: Ben Cullen, Adam Paranka, Ridge Flick, Jimmy Curran.
DU Scoring: Goals: Mark Matthews 3, Patrick Rogers 2, Todd Baxter 2, Andrew Lay, Charley Dickenson. Assists: John Dickenson 2, Cameron Kerr 2, Alex Demopaulos, Alejandro Brown.
