Falcon Lacrosse Travels to Detroit Mercy

GAME 11
AIR FORCE (5-5, 0-1 ASUN) at UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY (1-6, 0-1 ASUN)
ASUN Conference Game
Seaholm High School | Birmingham, Mich.
11 a.m. ET, Saturday, April 9

THE SERIES VS. DETROIT MERCY
-Air Force is undefeated in the six-game series
-Four games have been played at USAFA, two in Detroit
-When playing in Detroit, both games have been decided by two goals
-Last time they met, AF outscored the Titans, 19-9, at USAFA
-When playing at USAFA AF wins by an average of six goals
-Five-of-six meetings have been played in March, this weekend will be the second game played in April

COMMON OPPONENTS
The Falcons and Titans have one common opponent in Marquette. AF bested MU, 16-9, while UDM fell, 13-7. The Titans played ASUN opponent Robert Morris in their league opener, falling to the Colonials, 12-5.

LAST TIME THEY PLAYED
Four Falcon lacrosse players registered hat tricks to command a 19-9 victory over the University of Detroit Mercy in a Wednesday matinee at Falcon Stadium. The Falcons 19 goals marked a season high. Air Force's Coloradan and Minnesotan representatives had a highlight-reel of a day as five Falcons, two from Minnesota and three from Colorado, combined for 13 goals in the assault.

DOING NUMBERS
Air Force senior Brenden Crouse leads the Falcons with 34 goals and 10 assists for 44 points this season. He put up two goals at No. 1 Virginia in the season opener. He followed up with a career-best six goals at No. 12 Denver. He is on a 13-game goal streak dating back to his four-goal showing against VMI last season (Apr. 17). He put up a stellar eight points (4G, 4A) in the routing of Marist on March 5, and carried the momentum to Bryant where he scored three goals for his fourth hat trick this season. At Mercer (Mar. 19), he notched his fifth hat trick and second six-goal game of the season.

Falcon attackman Brandon Dodd showed out against Marist, scoring a season-best six goals with an assist. The big guy (6'3", 220) is one of Air Force's most prolific facilitators, both in goals (27) and assists (14). He put up an impressive five goals at Marquette and has six hat tricks this season, four of which in the last five games. Dodd also put up a career-best five assists at Mercer. He has missed just one game this season and only has one game where he didn't score a goal.

IN CAGE
Air Force junior goalie Jason Rose averages 12.90 saves per games so far this season. He put up a personal best 21 saves against Bryant (March 12), besting his earlier season-high 18 against No. 12 Denver (Feb. 12). He tallied 14 saves against back-to-back champs No. 1 Virginia, in the season opener. He boasts a .533 save percentage on five wins in the last six games.

D-UP
Falcon linchpin defender Quentin Carlile, a preseason All-ASUN selection, leads the squad with 22 caused turnovers and 28 ground balls. Carlile, the team captain, is assisted by Air Force sophomore standouts Chris Bardak and James Chastain. Bardak has 12 CTs, four goals and 19 GBs to his credit. When when the trio is on the field together, they are good for more than a .700 clear percentage.

AT THE X
Falcon co-team captain Brian Michael has taken the majority of attempts this season, winning 73-of-94 (.437). He came out on top in three of the last six meetings, highlighted by an impressive 8-of-11 face off wins against Canisius. He has 39 ground balls to his credit. At Mercer, Michael snagged up a career high 12 ground balls while going 14-25 in face offs at center X. AF walk on Braden Gaab has thrown his hat in the mix for the lead face off man slot, winning 15-24 this season (.615), highlighted by an impressive 11-14 showing against Utah.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Air Force returns home to host ASUN opponent Cleveland State, Saturday, April 16. The Falcons and Vikings, who are 2-2 on the overall series, are slated for a noon face off in their first meeting as league foes.

2023 ASUN ADDITIONS
The ASUN Conference is proud to welcome Jacksonville, Lindenwood and Mercer to its membership in the sport of Men's Lacrosse for the 2023 season, announced Wednesday by the league office. The trio brings the ASUN's member participation in the sport to nine teams, joining Air Force, Bellarmine, Cleveland State, Detroit Mercy, Robert Morris and Utah.

LAST WEEK
Air Force commanded 16-9 win over Marquette on their home field, leading from wire-to-wire and downing the Golden Eagles for the first time in the all-time series, Saturday afternoon at the Valley Fields in Milwaukee. The Falcons extended to a five-game win streak with the victory.

Air Force's usual suspects led the offensive charge— Brandon Dodd posted a game-high five goals, notching his sixth hat trick this season while teammate Brenden Crouse dished out four assists with a pair of goals, extending his active goal-streak to 13 games. Gavin Peene made his presence known with two goals to his credit. Freshman Kyle Griffith put on for the class of 2025 with two goals and an assist, bringing his season goals total to nine.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Chris Bardak

Quentin Carlile

James Chastain

Brenden Crouse

Brandon Dodd

Braden Gaab

Kyle Griffith

Brian Michael

Gavin Peene

Jason Rose

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