Falcons travel to Marist
2/16/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
This Week
Air Force (0-2, 0-0 SoCon) travels to Poughkeepsie, N.Y. for a non-conference game against Marist (0-0, 0-0 MAAC) on Saturday, Feb. 20, at noon ET. The Marist game begins a stretch of four straight on the road for the Falcons.
Series vs. Marist
Air Force and Marist have played twice and the series is tied at 1-1. Air Force beat Marist, 17-9, in 2014 at the Denver Faceoff Tournament. Last season, Marist beat Air Force, 7-6, at the Academy.
Last Season vs. Marist
Chris Walsch scored five goals, but the Falcons suffered a narrow 7-6 defeat to Marist on Saturday, Feb. 14, 2015, during the Falcons' home opener at Falcon Stadium. Marist jumped out to an early advantage, taking a 5-1 lead midway through the second period. Walsch, who scored for Air Force at 10:24 in the first period and at 7:48 in the second, completed a first-half hat trick with six seconds left to cut the Red Foxes' lead to two (5-3) at the break. Walsch notched the Falcons' first score of the second half, finding the back of the net at the 10:26 mark of the third period. Senior Keith Dreyer added a goal two minutes later that evened the score at five. The Red Foxes answered with a pair of goals in the fourth to take another two-goal lead, but Walsch recorded his fifth score of the day and brought the Falcons within one (7-6) with just over two minutes left in the game. Air Force peppered the Marist goal with attempts in the last minute, but the final horn sounded before the Falcons could find the back of the net.
In addition to his goal, Dreyer also paced the team with a pair of assists. Nate Hruby, Nick Hruby and Austin Smith each recorded an assist. Doug Gouchoe played all 60 minutes in goal for the Falcons and accounted for six saves. Gouchoe also tied with Walsch for the team lead in groundballs, as both collected five.Air Force outshot the Red Foxes 41-21, including a 27-8 advantage in the second half. Air Force also held a 25-27 edge in groundballs, while Marist earned the advantage in faceoffs, taking 10 of the game's 17. Neither team was able to score on an extra-man advantage.
Scouting the Red Foxes
Marist opens the season against Air Force this weekend. A member of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, Marist went 14-4 in the 2015 season, and won its third conference championship and second MAAC championship in program history. The program won its first NCAA Tournament game in its history with a 10-6 triumph over Bryant in a First Four contest. Marist finished the 2015 season ranked 19th in the final Cascade/Maverik Media Poll.
Inside the Numbers
Sophomore Chris Walsch leads the team with five points on three goals and two assists. Freshman Cameron Carter is second with four points (3-1-4). Senior team captain Christopher Allen leads the team with 16 shots and is tied for second on the team with three points (2-1-3). Freshman Trent Harper leads the team with 12 faceoff wins. Sophomore Sean LaVine leads the team with six ground balls. Freshman Brandon Jones leads the Falcons with four caused turnovers.
