Air Force Hosts Hobart to Close Out Regular Season
4/28/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 28, 2011
The Air Force lacrosse team closes out the regular season this weekend, Saturday, April 30, as it hosts Hobart in an ECAC match-up. The game is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. in Falcon Stadium, while the senior class will be honored in a pre-game ceremony which is scheduled to begin at 11:40 a.m.
Last Time Out...
Finishing with its highest scoring output since 1997, Air Force rolled to an 18-9 non-conference victory over Presbyterian Saturday afternoon at Falcon Stadium.
Ten different players found the back of the net for the Falcons, who outshot the Blue Hose, 54-16. Leading the way were seniors Vinny Sandtorv and Zack Carroll, who each tallied three goals and an assist, while freshman Erik Smith notched a game-high five points with two goals and three assists.
Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force enters this final weekend of the regular season game with a 5-7 overall record and 2-3 mark in the ECAC.
Senior Vinny Sandtorv leads the Falcons with a career-best 30 points, including a team-high 24 goals on the season. Freshman Erik Smith, who leads the Falcons with 62 ground balls on the years, is Air Force's next leading scorer with 12 goals and a team-best 15 assists, while classmate Mike Crampton (15g, 8a) has 23 points on the year.
Scouting the Statesmen...
Hobart enters this weekend with a 5-8 overall mark on the season and a 2-3 ledger in the ECAC. The Statesmen are coming off an 11-8 road loss to Loyola.
The Statesmen are coached by T.W. Johnson, in his third season at the helm of the program. Sam Miller is the leading scorer for Hobart with 29 points, including a team-best 26 goals, while Chris Pedersen and Tim Bigelow have 25 and 23 points, respectively.
Series Records...
This weekend's contest will be just the third meeting in the series between Air Force and Hobart, with the Statesmen undefeated against the Falcons. Hobart captured a 17-6 victory last season in the first meeting between the two teams as conference foes.
Air Force in the statistical rankings...
In the latest national statistical rankings released by the NCAA (through games of April 24), Air Force ranks 16th in ground balls per game with 33.25 and 27th in scoring defense (8.83). Meanwhile, the Falcons have a few players who are ranked among the top 50 nationally in various statistical categories. Freshman midfielder Erik Smith ranks 22nd (5.17) in ground balls per game, 23rd in face-off win percentage (.538) and tied for 48th in assists per game (1.25), while goalkeeper Brian Wilson ranks 29th in the nation in goals against average (8.86). Also in the national rankings is senior Vinny Sandtorv, who is tied for 35th with 2.0 goals per game.
How they Rate...
Through games of April 24, Hobart ranks fourth in the nation in face-off win percentage (.648) and is 15th in saves per game (11.46). Individually, Bobby Dattilo is seventh in the nation in face-off win percentage (.646) and eighth in ground balls per game (6.69), while Evan Kirk is 29th in saves per game (9.69). In addition, Sam Miller ranks tied for 35th in goals per game with 2.0.
Saying Good-Bye to the Seniors...
This weekend will mark the final home appearance for 10 Air Force seniors, who will be honored in a pre-game ceremony on Saturday. The Falcons' class of 2011 includes: Matt Beath, Zack Carroll, Andrew Costa, Michael Duenes, Bryan Gilbreath, Woody Johnson, Tristan Newkirk, Benson Oldmixon, Vinny Sandtorv and Brian Wilson.
Tournament Scenario...
Entering the final weekend of the regular season, three of the four spots in the inaugural ECAC Championship have been clinched. Denver (5-0 with one game remaining), Loyola (4-2) and Fairfield (3-2 with one game remaining) have locked up the top three seeds, while the final spot will go to either Air Force or Ohio State, who both enter this weekend with a 2-3 record. An Ohio State win over Bellarmine or an Air Force loss to Hobart would give the Buckeyes the fourth seed in the tournament, while an Ohio State loss and an Air Force win would give the Falcons the final spot. Hobart, which also carries a 2-3 league record into this weekend's game, is ineligible for the postseason due to NCAA sanctions.
High-scoring Offense...
Air Force tallied a season-high 18 goals against Presbyterian on Saturday, marking the highest single-game scoring output for the Falcons since 1997, when Air Force defeated Dartmouth, 18-9.
Saturday's game also marked just the fourth time in the past 14 years (and second this season) that the Falcons have scored 15 or more goals in a game.
Face-Off Domination...
Air Force had another outstanding performance at the face-off X against Presbyterian, winning 80 percent of their draws (24-of-30) against the Blue Hose. Leading the way was senior Zack Carroll, who won a career-best 90.9 percent of his face-offs (10-of-11), while freshman Erik Smith also added 12 face-off wins.
Up Next...
If Air Force earns the fourth seed in the ECAC Championship, the Falcons will face regular-season champion Denver in the opening game of the tournament, which is being held May 5 and 7 in Denver.
