Saturday, May 1
Richmond, VA
10:00 AM MT
Air Force Academy
at
Richmond
Photo by: U.S. Air Force photo / Trevor Co
Falcon Lacrosse Travels to No. 15 Richmond for Regular Season Finale
4/30/2021 10:00:00 AM | Men's Lacrosse
GAME 11: AIR FORCE (3-7, 2-2) at #15 RICHMOND (6-4, 5-0)
Air Force takes on SOCON front-runner, No. 15 Richmond, in the regular-season finale, Saturday, May 1, in Richmond, Virginia. Faceoff at Robins Stadium is slated for noon ET.
THE SERIES
-The series began in 2014
-Air Force leads Richmond in the all-time series, 6-2
-Air Force is 3-1 against Richmond at Robins Stadium
-The Falcons beat the Spiders in two-straight SoCon Championships (2016, 2017)
-Richmond won the last meeting (May 2, 2019), edging by Air Force, 7-6, in the SOCON semifinals
-In the last regular-season meeting, Air Force doubled up Richmond, 14-7, at USAFA (Apr. 13, 2019)
-The Falcons won the first five-straight meetings, including the first-ever meeting in the NCAA play-in game in 2014, 13-5. The win marked the Falcons first-ever NCAA tournament win
-Air Force is 3-1 against Richmond in post-season play
FALCONS TO WATCH
Sophomore attackman Ethan Grandolfo leads the Falcons with 27 points via 19 goals and eight assists. Grandolfo has put up points in all 10 appearances this season and scored a goal in nine of those games. He is on a seven-game goal streak highlighted by a career-best six-goal showing against VMI.
Senior middie Matthew O'Rourk has been Mr. Consistent as well, putting up points in nine appearances and goals in seven games this season. Senior teammate Ben Ward has blossomed as attacker in the late season scoring goals in three straight games, highlighted by a six-goal showing against VMI.
Air Force's top facilitators are Quincy Peene and Brenden Crouse who lead the squad with nine assists apiece. Crouse has scored goals in six games this season including a pair four-goal games in conference play. Peene has notched goals in 5-of-11 appearances, highlighted by a four-goal game against Utah.
In league play alone, Grandolfo and Crouse lead the squad with 10 goals and four assist each.
UP NEXT
Air Force's post-season hopes hang in the balance. In order for Air Force to win the four-seed in the SOCON tournament, the Falcons will need to beat Richmond and Mercer must lose their game with Bellarmine. If both Air Force and Mercer win, finalizing their SOCON records at 3-3, Mercer will take the seed by head-to-head win criteria. If both Air Force and Mercer lose, there will be a three-way tie for the four-seed with Bellarmine, in which goal differential in the will determine the fourth seed.
LAST TIME AGAINST RICHMOND
The Falcons concluded the 2019 campaign with a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to the University of Richmond in the Southern Conference semi-finals, hosted by the University of High Point at Vert Stadium.
The Falcons played a sluggish first quarter, turning the ball over six times while only sending off four shots on the Spiders' frame. Richmond gained an early 1-0 advantage as Tate Gallagher notched a goal at the 13-minute mark. The Falcons and Spiders went quiet for the remainder of the period.
At the 13:41 mark in the second quarter, junior attack man Chet Dunstan was the first to light the scoreboard for Air Force with a laser from 10 yards out via Christian Kuhn's assist. Just over five-minutes later, Dunstan struck again, notching his second goal with an assist from Cameron Carter, giving Air Force a 2-1 lead. Richmond responded with two-straight goals to take a one-goal lead at 3-2.
The game was tied at the half, as Air Force's Christian Kuhn scored a nifty goal with 30 seconds left in the second quarter to send the teams into the break even at three. Blake Gillund fired a shot on frame that Richmond keeper Jack Rusbuldt saved but could not corral. Kuhn, stationed just outside the crease, scooped the rebound out of the air, took two steps and slammed it home from close range to knot the score.
Richmond scored the first two goals out of the break to reclaim a two-goal lead, with Hatfield and Lanchbury both striking again. A strike from Trey Lervick midway through the third started a string of three straight Air Force goals, as Kevin Cox scored just 44-seconds after Lervick to level the score at five.
Lervick struck again with 13:56 left in the contest to put the Falcons on top for the final time before Lee and Gallagher came through for the Spiders late, notching the final two goals of the game to seal the deal at 7-6 in favor of the Spiders.
Air Force takes on SOCON front-runner, No. 15 Richmond, in the regular-season finale, Saturday, May 1, in Richmond, Virginia. Faceoff at Robins Stadium is slated for noon ET.
THE SERIES
-The series began in 2014
-Air Force leads Richmond in the all-time series, 6-2
-Air Force is 3-1 against Richmond at Robins Stadium
-The Falcons beat the Spiders in two-straight SoCon Championships (2016, 2017)
-Richmond won the last meeting (May 2, 2019), edging by Air Force, 7-6, in the SOCON semifinals
-In the last regular-season meeting, Air Force doubled up Richmond, 14-7, at USAFA (Apr. 13, 2019)
-The Falcons won the first five-straight meetings, including the first-ever meeting in the NCAA play-in game in 2014, 13-5. The win marked the Falcons first-ever NCAA tournament win
-Air Force is 3-1 against Richmond in post-season play
FALCONS TO WATCH
Sophomore attackman Ethan Grandolfo leads the Falcons with 27 points via 19 goals and eight assists. Grandolfo has put up points in all 10 appearances this season and scored a goal in nine of those games. He is on a seven-game goal streak highlighted by a career-best six-goal showing against VMI.
Senior middie Matthew O'Rourk has been Mr. Consistent as well, putting up points in nine appearances and goals in seven games this season. Senior teammate Ben Ward has blossomed as attacker in the late season scoring goals in three straight games, highlighted by a six-goal showing against VMI.
Air Force's top facilitators are Quincy Peene and Brenden Crouse who lead the squad with nine assists apiece. Crouse has scored goals in six games this season including a pair four-goal games in conference play. Peene has notched goals in 5-of-11 appearances, highlighted by a four-goal game against Utah.
In league play alone, Grandolfo and Crouse lead the squad with 10 goals and four assist each.
UP NEXT
Air Force's post-season hopes hang in the balance. In order for Air Force to win the four-seed in the SOCON tournament, the Falcons will need to beat Richmond and Mercer must lose their game with Bellarmine. If both Air Force and Mercer win, finalizing their SOCON records at 3-3, Mercer will take the seed by head-to-head win criteria. If both Air Force and Mercer lose, there will be a three-way tie for the four-seed with Bellarmine, in which goal differential in the will determine the fourth seed.
LAST TIME AGAINST RICHMOND
The Falcons concluded the 2019 campaign with a heartbreaking 7-6 loss to the University of Richmond in the Southern Conference semi-finals, hosted by the University of High Point at Vert Stadium.
The Falcons played a sluggish first quarter, turning the ball over six times while only sending off four shots on the Spiders' frame. Richmond gained an early 1-0 advantage as Tate Gallagher notched a goal at the 13-minute mark. The Falcons and Spiders went quiet for the remainder of the period.
At the 13:41 mark in the second quarter, junior attack man Chet Dunstan was the first to light the scoreboard for Air Force with a laser from 10 yards out via Christian Kuhn's assist. Just over five-minutes later, Dunstan struck again, notching his second goal with an assist from Cameron Carter, giving Air Force a 2-1 lead. Richmond responded with two-straight goals to take a one-goal lead at 3-2.
The game was tied at the half, as Air Force's Christian Kuhn scored a nifty goal with 30 seconds left in the second quarter to send the teams into the break even at three. Blake Gillund fired a shot on frame that Richmond keeper Jack Rusbuldt saved but could not corral. Kuhn, stationed just outside the crease, scooped the rebound out of the air, took two steps and slammed it home from close range to knot the score.
Richmond scored the first two goals out of the break to reclaim a two-goal lead, with Hatfield and Lanchbury both striking again. A strike from Trey Lervick midway through the third started a string of three straight Air Force goals, as Kevin Cox scored just 44-seconds after Lervick to level the score at five.
Lervick struck again with 13:56 left in the contest to put the Falcons on top for the final time before Lee and Gallagher came through for the Spiders late, notching the final two goals of the game to seal the deal at 7-6 in favor of the Spiders.
Players Mentioned
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