Air Force Academy
UNLV
No. 16 Air Force Blanks UNLV, 3-0
10/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. - The 16th-ranked Air Force Men's soccer team (10-1-3, 4-0-2 WAC) posted a 3-0 shutout over the 2016 WAC Champions, UNLV, Friday evening at Cadet Soccer Stadium. The win marks the Falcons' ninth shutout of the season.
The first strike of the match came from Danny Han as he sent a rocket into the far side of the net from 15 yards out via Tucker Bone's feed in the 19th minute. The goal marks Han's second of the season while Bone was credited with his fourth assist.
The Falcons did not find any comfort in a one-point lead as they continued to push the pace on the Rebel defense. Air Force outshot UNLV, 12-3, in the first half as they dominated the possessions.
Following the halftime break, Air Force took the pitch continuing to fire on all cylinders. Four minutes into the second half, a penalty atop the Rebels' box yielded a free kick to the Falcons' Luis Martinez. Martinez serviced the ball deep into the box where John Sims met it with a header which was deflected by the keeper to Bone who then punched the ball in from within five yards. Sims and Martinez were credited with their first and third assists, respectively. Bone has four goals on the season.
As the Falcons continued to fly high and press the attack, John Sims was fouled inside the Rebels' box, yielding Air Force its first penalty kick opportunity of the season. Austin Dewing lined up against Enrique Adame and plugged one in over the keepers head, extending the Falcons lead to three-nil. The goal marked Dewing's second of the season.
With a healthy lead, head coach Doug Hill began to cycle in his second team; 24 Falcons saw action in the match. The reserves settled in and held off the Rebels' attack for the remainder of the match; securing the team's ninth shutout over the conference heavyweight.
In his fourth shutout in as many tries, sophomore goalkeeper Andrea Seazzu recorded five saves on the night; including two that were put on goal by All-American Danny Musovski who leads the league in goals (10) and points (25); marks that rank him 11th and seventh in the nation, respectively. Senior midfielder Oscar Chacon, who was tasked with marking Musovski, held the Rebel to only two shots on the match.
Air Force held the advantage in total shots, 21-13, led by Bone with six to his credit, while eight other Falcons registered shot attempts on the match.
"We had tremendous goals tonight," said head coach Doug Hill. "I liked the way we came out and got the goal early. Our midfield was just as mobile as the defense and that allowed us to get the second goal which gave us a little breathing room."
"Defensively I thought we did well," continued Hill. "Just as important was Seazzu's shot-blocking ability and Chacon's ability to shut down the best scorer in the league. Overall I'm happy with tonight's performance and we're looking forward to carrying the energy into Sunday's match."
Air Force wraps up the 2017 home slate against Grand Canyon, where eight seniors will partake in their last home game as Falcons, Sunday, Oct. 22, for Senior Day. Kickoff is slated for 3:00 p.m.
