Air Force Opens Up Home Slate Versus Quinnipiac
2/29/2012 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
Feb. 29, 2012
The Air Force lacrosse team opens its 2012 home slate this weekend, March 3, when it hosts Quinnipiac in a non-conference match-up. The game is slated to begin at 11:00 a.m. in Falcon Stadium.
GAME INFORMATION
Live Stats/Video: goairforcefalcons.com
Series History: Series is tied, 3-3
Last Meeting: In their final contest as conference foes, the Bobcats earned an 8-6 victory over the Falcons at the Academy in 2010.
LAST TIME OUT...
Air Force split a pair of games at the DU Face-Off Classic, dropping a 17-14 shootout to Robert Morris, while capturing a 15-6 victory over Michigan.
Freshman Keith Dreyer scored 10 points (3g, 7a) over the weekend to lead the Falcons, while sophomores Erik Smith (3g, 5a) and Mike Crampton (5g, 2a) added eight and seven points, respectively. Against the Colonials, Smith and Crampton paced Air Force with three goals each, while junior Pat Harrison tallied a career-best four goals in the win over the Wolverines.
SCOUTING THE FALCONS...
Air Force enters this weekend's contest with a 1-2 overall record following its performance at the DU Face-Off Classic.
Freshman Keith Dreyer leads the Falcons' offense with 14 points, including a team-best 10 assists, while sophomore Mike Crampton is the team's top goal scorer with eight tallies on the year.
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS...
Quinnipiac currently holds an 0-1 record on the season after dropping its season opener to Brown, 12-7.
Basil Kostaras was the top scorer for the Bobcats versus Brown last weekend, registering three goals and an assist, while Matt Diehl registered a team-high two assists.
AIR FORCE IN THE STATISTICAL RANKINGS...
In the first national statistical rankings released by the NCAA (through games of Feb. 26), Air Force is tied for first in the nation in man-up offense (1.000) and ranks in the top 10 in three other categories: assists per game (fifth/9.33), points per game (seventh/22.33) and scoring offense (eighth/13.0).
In addition, the Falcons have several players who are ranked among the top 25 nationally in various statistical categories. Freshman Keith Dreyer ranks third in the nation in assists per game with 3.33, while sophomore Erik Smith is tied for 16th with 2.0 assists per game. Dreyer also ranks tied for 11th nationally in points per game (4.67) and Smith is tied for 18th in ground balls per contest (6.0). Meanwhile, junior goalkeeper Austin Fox ranks tied for 25th in saves per game with 9.67.
HOW THEY RATE...
Through games of Feb. 26, Quinnipiac is tied for first in the nation in man-down defense (1.000) and ranks fifth in caused turnovers per game (11.0). Individually, Dylan Webster is tied for sixth nationally in ground balls per game (8.0), while Carmer French and Chris Coppolecchia are tied for sixth in caused turnovers per contest (3.0). Matt Diehl is tied for 16th in assists per game with 2.0, while Basil Kostaras ranks tied for 15th in goals per game (3.0) and tied for 20th in points per game (4.0).
DU FACE-OFF CLASSIC ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM...
Three Air Force players--senior Dayton Gilbreath, sophomore Erik Smith and freshman Keith Dreyer--were named to the DU Face-Off Classic all-tournament team over the weekend.
Gilbreath served as the anchor of the Falcons' defensive unit, while also scoring his first point of the season. Smith registered eight points on the weekend, sharing the team lead with three goals against Robert Morris, while scoring a team-high five assists versus Michigan. Meanwhile, Dreyer scored a team-high 10 points in two games, including a team-best seven points (3g, 4a) versus the Wolverines.
ECAC ROOKIE OF THE WEEK...
Freshman Keith Dreyer became the first Air Force player to earn ECAC weekly honors this season, as he was named the league's rookie of the week on Feb. 27, following his performance at the DU Face-Off Classic.
Dreyer was named to the all-tournament team at the DU Face-Off Classic after scoring 10 points in two games, including a team-best seven points (3g, 4a) in the Falcons' victory over Michigan. Dreyer's seven points against the Wolverines were the most for an Air Force player in a single game since the 2005 season.
HIGH-OCTANE OFFENSE...
Air Force has found success on the offensive end early this season, averaging 13.0 goals per contest through the first three games of the year. In contrast, the Falcons averaged just 9.0 goals per game in 2011.
There are currently eight players on the Falcons' roster who are averaging at least one goal per game and six who are averaging at least two points per contest. Leading the way is freshman Keith Dreyer, who has tallied 14 points on the year, ranking 11th in the nation in points per game.
LENDING A HAND...
In Air Force's game versus Michigan on Saturday, the Falcons gave out assists on 14 of 15 goals scored. For the season, nearly 72 percent of Air Force's goals have been assisted; in contrast, just half of the Falcons' goals in 2011 came off assists.
ON THE EMO...
The Falcons' man-up unit has been stellar this season, going 10-for-10 on the EMO through the first three games of the year. Just one other team in the nation has scored on each of its man-up opportunities--Mount St. Mary's also has a perfect man-up percentage, scoring on 2-of-2 man-up chances this year.
UP NEXT...
Air Force heads to Houston, Texas, next weekend, March 10, to take on service-academy rival Army in a neutral-site contest. The game, which is part of the Beating Cancer With a Stick Classic, will begin at 1:00 p.m. (CT) at the Kinkaid School.
