Air Force Concludes Road Slate at Bellarmine
4/6/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
April 6, 2011
The Air Force lacrosse team plays its final road game of the season this weekend, April 9, as the Falcons travel to Louisville, Ky., to take on Bellarmine in an ECAC contest. The game is slated to begin at noon (ET) at Owsley B. Frazier Stadium.
Last Time Out...
Nine different Falcons found the back of the net as Air Force rolled to a 14-5 non-conference road win over Mercer last Saturday. The Falcons outshot the Bears, 49-20, while also winning 18-of-22 face-offs for the game.
Freshman Tommy McKee tallied a game-high three goals to lead Air Force, while classmates Mike Crampton and Erik Smith each added two goals and an assist.
Scouting the Falcons...
Air Force enters this weekend's contest with a 3-6 overall record and 1-2 ledger in the ECAC. The Falcons are coming off a 14-5 non-conference win over Mercer.
Senior Vinny Sandtorv, who has a team-best 14 goals on the season, and freshman Mike Crampton (13g, 5a) lead the Falcons with 18 points each. Meanwhile, freshman Erik Smith, who has registered a team-high eight assists is next for Air Force with 16 points on the year.
Scouting the KNights...
Bellarmine enters this weekend's contest with a 4-7 overall record and 0-2 mark in the ECAC. The Knights are coming off a 13-11 road loss to Fairfield.
Bellarmine is led by interim head coach Bart Sullivan, in his first season at the helm of the program. Austin Bright is the Knights' leading goal scorer with 14 tallies on the year, while Karsen Leung leads Bellarmine in total points (19) and assists (11) on the season. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Dillon Ward is averaging 12.5 saves per contest.
Series Records...
This weekend's contest will be the sixth meeting in the all-time series between Air Force and Bellarmine, with the Falcons holding a 3-2 advantage. Last season, the Knights were victorious, earning an 11-10 win at the Academy.
Air Force in the statistical rankings...
In the latest national statistical rankings released by the NCAA (through games of April 3), Air Force ranks 18th in ground balls per game with 33.0. Meanwhile, the Falcons have a couple of players who are ranked among the top 50 nationally in various statistical categories. Freshman midfielder Erik Smith ranks 18th (5.44) in ground balls per game and 37th in face-off win percentage (.505), while goalkeeper Brian Wilson ranks 36th in the nation in goals against average (9.0) and 43rd in save percentage (.500).
How they Rate...
Through games of March 27, Bellarmine ranks second in the nation in saves per game (14.45), ninth in ground balls per game (35.82) and 14th in scoring offense (10.91) and shot percentage (.313). Meanwhile, starting goalkeeper Dillon Ward ranks 10th nationally in saves per game (11.55) and 14th in save percentage (.570).
Road Warriors...
This weekend, Air Force concludes a three-game stretch on the road, its second multiple-game road swing of the season. Through the first 10 games of the season, the Falcons will have played eight games away from home, including a pair of neutral site contests at Denver.
After playing just two home games in the first month and a half of the season, Air Force will wrap up the regular season with a three-game homestand, beginning on April 17 versus Ohio State.
eCAC Rookie Of the Week...
Freshman Erik Smith was named the ECAC Lacrosse League Rookie of the Week on April 4, following his performance in the Falcons' win over Mercer. It marks his second conference honor of the season.
A midfielder from Golden, Colo., Smith shared the team lead with three points as the Falcons picked up their first road win of the season with a 14-5 victory over Mercer on Saturday. In addition to registering two goals and an assist, Smith also aided the Falcons' dominance at the face-off X, winning 10-of-12 face-offs in the game. He recorded a season-high 10 ground balls, marking the highest single-game total for an Air Force player since Reilly Smith also notched 10 against Quinnipiac in 2008.
Going After the Ground Balls...
Freshman Erik Smith notched a career-high 10 ground balls against Mercer on Saturday, surpassing his previous-best of nine, set twice this year. Smith's 10 ground balls are the most by a Falcon since Reilly Smith was credited with 10 ground balls against Quinnipiac in 2008.
Smith, who ranks third in the ECAC in ground balls per game, is averaging 9.9 ground balls in his last two contests after picking up nine ground balls versus Denver on March 26.
Balanced (And Young) Offense...
Air Force used balancing scoring in its win over Mercer, with nine different Falcons accounting for the team's 14 goals. Tommy McKee led Air Force with three goals, while Mike Crampton, Jacob Podolnick and Erik Smith added two goals each.
Against Mercer, Scott Hewitson, Franklin Martin and Matthew Selby each tallied the first scores of their respective careers, while Kyle Cassady and Bryan Gilbreath also got on the board for the Falcons.
Meanwhile, just two of the Falcons' goals against the Bears were scored by upperclassmen: Selby, a junior appearing in just the fourth game of his career, and Gilbreath, a senior defenseman.
Up Next...
Air Force returns home next Sunday, April 19, when it hosts Ohio State in an ECAC match-up. The game is slated to begin at 7:00 p.m. in Falcon Stadium.
