Air Force Academy
Houston Baptist
Air Force Blanks HBU, 2-0
10/8/2017 12:00:00 AM | Men's Soccer
U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo. - John Sims and Luis Martinez notched a goal apiece against Houston Baptist, Sunday afternoon, in conference play at Cadet Soccer Stadium. The win marks the Falcons' eighth shutout of the season and third-straight conference shutout since league play started Sept. 29.
The Falcons' first strike came in the 43rd minute as freshman midfielder Aaron Uribe found senior forward John Sims open for a goal from within the HBU box. The goal marks Sims' fourth of the season; he leads the team in goals.
At the half, Air Force held the advantage in shots, 9-2. The Falcons are undefeated when scoring first and leading at the half.
In the 60th minute, Austin Dewing advanced into the Huskies' box looking for a scoring opportunity. Dewing's shot was deflected by the HBU defense but then yielded Luis Martinez an opportunity which he capitalized on for his third goal of the season. Dewing leads the team with five assists, while Martinez is tied for second on the team with three goals.
At the final whistle Air Force outshot HBU, 22-5, led by Dewing's five shots and Tucker Bone's four. Twenty-one Falcons saw action in the match, 10 of which attempted shots. Air Force continues to outshoot opponents by wide margins, outshooting all opponents this season, 178-92.
Senior goalkeeper John Wendt tallied two saves in his fifth shutout of the season. Wendt is one of the nation's top goalies, boasting an .818 save percentage and 0.49 goals allowed per game.
"I was really happy with the way we played," said head coach Doug Hill. "We controlled the pace of the game from the first minute to the 90th minute. The goals we scored were quality ones and when we got ahead we were able to get our extra guys into the game, so it was a good day all around."
"The team is on the right track to do something special, but for now it is one game at a time," continued Hill. "We're looking forward to a tough weekend on the road but the guys are up for the challenge."
"Compliments to the defense for their eighth shutout of the season; it has been a defensive objective to keep opponents at zero and the defense has really stepped up to achieve that, and we're going to continue building from here."
Air Force returns to the road for a pair of conference matches against perennial WAC powerhouses, No. 23 Seattle U and Utah Valley. The Falcons will take on Seattle U, Oct. 12, at 4:30 p.m. PT, in their first Thursday match of the season. Air Force will then travel to Orem, Utah, to meet with Utah Valley, Sun., Oct. 14, at 7:00 p.m. MT.
