Falcons Host Davidson in Home Opener
9/1/2011 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Sept. 1, 2011
Game #2
Air Force Falcons vs. Davidson College Wildcats
Friday, Sept. 2, 2011
7:30 p.m. at Cadet Soccer Stadium
Falcons Play Home Opener vs. Davidson on Friday
The Air Force Falcons open the home portion of their 2011 season on Friday, Sept. 2 against Davidson College. The game is scheduled to start at 7:30 p.m., following the Air Force women's game against Northern Colorado at 5 p.m. The Falcons are 1-0 after routing Houston Baptist, 5-2, last Saturday in the season opener. Three Falcons, senior John Melcher, junior Kevin Durr and sophomore Brian Klazura, each posted a goal and an assist.
Davidson plays its season opener on Friday and went 7-7-6 last season.
Head Coach Doug Hill
Doug Hill enters his fifth season as head coach at Air Force.
In his four seasons at the helm, Hill has coached 15 Falcons to all-conference honors, including five last season, four of whom were underclassmen. This season, Hill has 17 letterwinners and nine starters returning from last year's squad. In fact, eight of the 11 players that notched at least one point last season are back.
Hill, who holds a United States Soccer Federation "A" license, graduated from the Academy in 1983 and was a four-year varsity letterman on the men's soccer team. He was chosen as team captain both his junior and senior seasons. In all four years, Hill helped the Falcons win the Rocky Mountain Intercollegiate Soccer League title. After graduation, he remained at AFA as the assistant soccer coach and a physical education instructor for one year.
Hill left the Academy in 1984 for Dyess AFB, Texas, where he was an instructor navigator in the C-130 aircraft. In addition, he assisted and filled in as the interim head soccer coach for the men's and women's soccer teams at Hardin Simmons University (Texas) from 1986-1988. He also played on the All-Air Force soccer team in 1985 and 1987 and coached the 1986 team.
After eight years away from the Academy, Hill returned as an assistant coach in 1992 and helped guide the Falcons to consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament in `92 and `93. In 1993, the Falcons advanced to the Final Eight. The 1996 team advanced to the WAC championships after going 14-3-3 during the regular season, while the 1997 squad earned a trip to the NCAA Tourney.
A native of Fleetwood, Pa., Hill, 51, lives in Colorado Springs with his wife, Kathy, and their two sons, Luke (12) and Greg (10).
Falcons Picked Seventh in Preseason Poll
The Falcons were picked seventh in the 2011 MPSF preseason coaches poll, voted onby the league's eight head coaches. Cal State Bakersfield received 46 points and five of eight first-place votes in earning the No. 1 spot, while New Mexico and Denver each collected 41 points in tying for second in the poll. Defending MPSF Tournament champion Sacramento State was picked fourth with 30 points, followed by UNLV, San Jose State, Air Force and Seattle University.
Air Force 5, Houston Baptist 2
August 27, 2011 at Houston, Texas
The Air Force men's soccer team scored four second-half goals en route to a 5-2 victory over Houston Baptist in both teams' regular season opener Saturday evening at Sorrels Field. Three Falcons, senior John Melcher, junior Kevin Durr and sophomore Brian Klazura, each posted a goal and an assist. The only goal in the first half came just four minutes into the match, as Klazura scored an unassisted goal, shooting from long range and the shot ricocheting off the hands of HBU goalie Daniel Boyer.
Early in the second half, the Falcons blew the game wide open with a pair of goals in the first 10 minutes. Junior Garrett Getschow scored in the 50th minute on a rebound off a shot from junior Patrick Compton that hit the post. Melcher made it 3-0 in the 52nd minute, assisted by Klazura, as the two had a give-and-go, with Melcher sneaking the ball into the lower left corner.
Air Force made it 4-0 in the 70th minute, when Durr took a pass from Melcher shooting top shelf past Boyer. HBU got on the board in the 81st minute, as the Huskies were fouled in the box and were awarded a penalty kick. Richard Ojeda took it and shot it past Underwood.
Air Force, which posted its first season-opening victory since 2005, answered with its fifth and final goal of the match five minutes later, when freshman Zachary Modly scored the first goal of his career, assisted by Durr.
"This was a very good road win for us, especially in the opening game," said Air Force head coach Doug Hill. "We picked it up second half and getting ball on frame gave us some great results. Our back line was very steady tonight."
The Huskies completed the scoring in the 89th minute, when Zach Pierce scored his first collegiate goal, assisted by Munoz.
Getschow and Melcher each had a match-high four shots, while Air Force goalie junior Matt Underwood went the distance in goal, allowing two goals and making one save. Boyer made four saves for the Huskies.
