Men's Soccer Travels to Army For Season Opener
8/24/2016 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
Air Force at Army
Friday, Aug. 26, 2016
7:00 p.m. ET | 5:00 p.m. MT
Clinton Field, West Point, N.Y.
Watch Live | Live Stats
This Week...
Falcon men's soccer takes to the pitch for the first regular season match of 2016 against service academy rivals Army West Point, Friday, Aug. 26, at 7:00 p.m. ET, Clinton Field, West Point, N.Y.
Air Force will enter Clinton Field coming off of a scoreless tie in an exhibition against the University of Denver, Aug. 20. The Pioneers, who returned nine starters and 14 letter winners and concluded the 2015 season ranked 19th, were unable to find momentum against the Falcon defenders at Cadet Soccer Stadium. The Pioneers concluded last season with an overall record of 15-1-3, 5-0-1 in the Summit League.
Last Time They Met...
In front of a school-record crowd of 3,683, Air Force defeated Army West Point, 1-0, in double-overtime in the 2015 season-opener for both service academy schools Friday night at the Cadet Soccer Stadium. Junior defender A.J. Esparza's goal lifted the Falcons to the season-opening win.
Esparza took a pass from Austin Dewing and scored from the right side of the goal box to the left post at the 104:43 minute-mark. The standing-room only crowd, that spilled along the perimeter of the field, erupted in celebration, engulfing Esparza and the victorious Falcons.
The Rivalry Series…
Air Force is 8-15-4 all-time against Army West Point following last year's double-overtime win. In the last 10 years, the Falcons and Black Knights have seen double-overtime four times and extra minutes five times. In the last 10 years, Army's largest margin of victory was a 3-0 win in 2012, while Air Force's largest margin of victory, 2-1, came in 2008.
Up Next…
The Falcons will travel to Albuquerque, N.M., to compete in the New Mexico Tournament, Sept. 2-4. They will kick the weekend off with a Friday evening match against Cal Poly, at 4 p.m. MT. On Sunday, the Falcons will take to the field against Cal State Northridge, at 2 p.m.
