Air Force Academy
Sacred Heart
Falcons beat Sacred Heart, 13-10
2/28/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
DENVER, Colo. -- The Air Force lacrosse team extended its winning streak to three games with a 13-10 win over Sacred Heart in the final game of the Faceoff Classic at the University of Denver. The Falcons posted a 2-0 record in the annual tournament and improved to 3-2 on the season.
Austin Smith recorded a hat trick and Chris Walsh, Christopher Allen and Andrew Tien each had two goals. Nick Hruby and Walsch each had two assists for the Falcons.
The teams traded goals early in the game as the score was knotted at 2-2. Back-to-back goals late in the first quarter by Tim Baker and Walsch put the Falcons up 4-2. Senior Danny Brown scored his first of the season in the second quarter as the Falcons had a 5-3 lead at the half.
The teams erupted for eight combined goals in the third quarter. Air Force scored the first five as Tien, Allen, Smith, Walsch and Grant Gould gave the Falcons a 10-3 lead with 5:46 left in the third. The Pioneers answered with three goals late in the third and two early in the fourth to cut the Falcon lead to 10-8. Air Force responded as Walsch set up Smith for his third of the game at 10:19 of the fourth quarter for a three-goal Falcon lead. With 5:45 left, Allen scored for a 12-8 lead, but the Pioneers were not done yet. Goals by Alec Dauses, his third of the game, and Bryce Jurk made the score 12-10. Tien sealed the win with his goal with 3:28 left.
Each team had 31 shots in the game. Sacred Heart (2-3 overall this season) had the advantage in ground balls, 20-19, and faceoffs, 14-12. SHU was 2-for-6 in man-up opportunities while Air Force was 1-for-5. Doug Gouchoe made eight saves for the Falcons.
Air Force travels to Pittsburgh, Pa., to face Robert Morris on Saturday, March 5, at 11 a.m. ET.
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