Falcons host Furman in first SoCon game
3/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
This Week
Air Force (4-2 overall, 0-0 SoCon) plays its first ever game in the Southern Conference as the Falcons host Furman (0-5, 0-0 SoCon), Saturday, March 12, at noon MT in Falcon Stadium.
Live Stream
The Air Force-Furman game will be live streamed for free on the Mountain West Network. Click here to watch the game.
First Game in the SoCon Conference
The game against Furman, March 12, begins as new era of Air Force lacrosse as the Falcons play their first game in the Southern Conference. The SoCon is Air Force's third conference. Air Force was a member of the Great Western Lacrosse League (GWLL) from 1993-2009. From 2010-2014, Air Force was a member of the ECAC, winning the ECAC post-season tournament in 2014. Air Force was an independent in 2015.
Series vs. Furman
Air Force holds a 2-0 record all-time against Furman. The teams first met in 2014 and Air Force won, 15-6, at the Academy. Last season, teams played in Greenville, S.C., and the Falcons won 6-4.
Scouting the Paladins
Furman is 0-5 overall this and 0-0 in the conference play. Earlier this week, Furman fell at home to Penn State, 16-7. Furman's other losses have come to Mount St. Mary's and North Carolina on the road and Lehigh and Ohio State at home. Against the Buckeyes, OSU scored with four seconds left for the 8-7 win. David Williamson leads the team with seven goals and 11 points. Reilly McDermott has started all five games in goal and has a 12.60 GAA and a .442 saves percentage.
Special Teams are Special
Air Force special teams have been outstanding this season. The Falcons lead the conference and rank 20th in the nation in man-up offense at .462. The Falcons scored on four straight to open the season against Navy, Denver and Marist. In man-down defense, the Falcons lead the conference and rank 12th in the nation at .789. The Falcons opened the season by killing 10 straight opponent man-ups against Navy, Denver, Marist and Dartmouth.
Between the Pipes
Senior Doug Gouchoe ranks second in the SoCon and 12th in the nation in goals-against average (7.87). He is third in the league and 26th in the nation in saves percentage (.529). The Concord, Mass., native has started all six games in goal for the Falcons and has made 55 saves this season. He made a career high 19 saves in the four-overtime win over Marist, Feb. 20. He helped lead Air Force to a pair of wins over Dartmouth and Sacred Heart, Feb. 27-28, by making 18 saves in the two games. He has been named the SoCon Defensive Player of the Week twice this season (Feb. 22 and March 1). Last season, Gouchoe ranked 19th in the nation in goals-against average (8.62), 31st in saves percentage (.528) and 36th in saves per game (9.55). Gouchoe's 133 saves were just seven shy of cracking the top 10 in the modern era at Air Force. Gouchoe's 8.62 GAA is the fifth best in the modern era at Air Force.
Inside the Numbers
Sophomore Chris Walsch leads the team with 20 points on 12 goals and eight assists. Senior Christopher Allen is second on the team with 10 points (7-3-10). Cameron Carter (6-3-9) and Nick Hruby (5-4-9) are tied for third with nine points. Allen, a senior team captain, leads the team with 37 shots. Sophomore Josh Radjenovich leads the team with 50 faceoff wins and 33 ground balls. Radjenovich ranks second in the conference, 16th in the nation, with 5.50 ground balls per game. He is also second in the conference and 17th in the nation in faceoff winning percentage at .617. Freshman Brandon Jones leads the Falcons with 12 caused turnovers. Jones is first in the SoCon and eighth in the nation with 2.00 caused turnovers per game.
The Walsch File
Sophomore Chris Walsch ranks fourth in the conference in goals per game (2.00) and points per game (3.33) and is fifth in assists per games (1.33). He has scored a goal in every game this season and, dating back to last season, has scored a goal in 10 straight games. He has scored a point in 12 straight games. Last season, Walsch's 37 goals tied as the second most, and the most ever by a freshman, in the Air Force Academy modern era (since 1994 when Air Force joined the GWLL, a full Division I conference). Chris MacAuley also had 37 goals in 1998. Mike Crampton set the record with 48 goals in 2014. Walsch's 55 points are the third most in the modern era and the most ever by a freshman. Crampton set the record with 66 points in 2015. Mike Murphy is second on the list with 60 in 1994.
