Falcons travel to Robert Morris, March 5
3/2/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
This Week
Air Force (3-2 overall, 0-0 SoCon) travels to Pittsburgh, Pa., to face the Robert Morris Colonials (1-3 overall) in a non-conference game, Saturday, March 5, at 11 a.m. ET.
Falcons in the SoCon
After one season as an independent, the Falcons are back in a conference. Air Force joins the Southern Conference for the 2016 season, joining Bellarmine, Furman, High Point, Jacksonville, Mercer, Richmond and VMI. Last season, Air Force faced six of the seven other teams from the SoCon. The only team the Falcons did not play was Richmond. Air Force was 5-1 against SoCon teams with wins over Bellarmine, Furman, Jacksonville, Mercer and VMI and a loss on the road by one goal at High Point, the eventual tournament champions.
Series vs. Robert Morris
Air Force and Robert Morris have played three times and the Colonials hold a 2-1 lead in the series. The teams met last season at the Academy and the Falcons won 10-9. The teams also played in 2010 in Pittsburgh (RMU 13-7) and in 2012 at the Academy (RMU 17-14).
Scouting the Colonials
Robert Morris is 1-3 overall this season. The Colonials opened the season with a 20-7 loss at No. 20 Penn State followed by an 11-10 loss at Bellarmine. RMU's first win of the season came in the home opener against Manhattan, 19-6, on Feb. 20. Last week, High Point beat Robert Morris, 15-10. Luke Lasziewicz leads the team with 12 goals and 17 points in four games. Goalie Matt Bukovac has started all four games and had a .430 saves percentage.
Special Teams are Special
Air Force special teams have been outstanding this season. The Falcons rank 14th in the nation in man-up offense at .545. The Falcons scored on four straight to open the season against Navy, Denver and Marist. Air Force was 2-for-7 last week vs. Dartmouth and Sacred Heart. In man-down defense, the
Falcons are fourth in the nation at .875. The Falcons opened the season by killing 10 straight opponent man-ups against Navy, Denver, Marist and Dartmouth. Sacred Heart was 2-for-6 on man-ups.
Inside the Numbers
Sophomore Chris Walsch leads the team with 19 points on 11 goals and eight assists. Four Falcons are tied for second on the team with seven points: Christopher Allen (6-1-7), Andrew Tien (6-1-7), Cameron Carter (4-3-7) and Nick Hruby (3-4-7). Allen, a senior team captain, leads the team with 34 shots. Sophomore Josh Radjenovich leads the team with 30 faceoff wins and 18 ground balls. He ranks fourth in the conference in faceoff wins and ninth in ground balls per game. Freshman Brandon Jones leads the Falcons with eight caused turnovers. Jones is fifth in the SoCon in caused turnovers.
