Air Force Downs Mercer in ASUN Battle, 14-8

MACON, Ga. – Air Force put up a season best 14 goals to beat Mercer in the ASUN Conference opener, Saturday afternoon at Five Star Stadium. The Falcons, now 3-2 on the season, were led by three players with hat trick performances.

Seven players on Air Force notched in a goal in the effort led by Brandon Dodd, Ethan Grandolfo and Wes Peene who scored a hat trick apiece while shooting over .500 on the day. The hat trick marked Dodd's third this season, he has a team-high 12 goals in the 2023 campaign. Peene now has nine goals this season in the wake of his first career hat trick. Grandolfo, who posted a game-high five points, has two hat tricks this year.

Freshman attacker Caelan Driggs put up two goals on a game-high 12 shots, marking career-best single-game numbers in both stat categories. Aidan Tolen, Shad Bruce, and Alexander Stepney rounded out the scoring with a goal each. Josh Yago was a key facilitator with two assists and six shots. Tolen and Bruce notched an assist apiece.

On the defensive end, Chris Bardak had a career day with a game-best five caused turnovers and team-high four ground balls. He leads the squad with eight CTs this season. James Chastain and Cody Gross caused a turnover apiece to bring the tally to seven on the game. Jason Rose was sturdy in goal, making 10 saves on the day and ultimately quelling a Mercer rally in the second half.

Air Force struggled at the center dot, winning just nine of 25 faceoff attempts against Ashton Wood, the league's third-best faceoff man (.553).

Despite losing the contest, Mercer outshot Air Force, 50-44, and picked up two more ground balls (27-25). The Falcons were 2-3 in extra man opportunities.

Next up, the Falcons return to the Academy to host Bryant on Saturday, March 11. Action at the Falcon Lacrosse Practice Field is slated for noon MT. A live stream will be available on the @AF_Falcons YouTube channel.

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Team Stats

Ethan Grandolfo

Brandon Dodd

Wes Peene

Caelan Driggs

Players Mentioned

Chris Bardak

Shad Bruce

James Chastain

Brandon Dodd

Caelan Driggs

Ethan Grandolfo

Cody Gross

Wes Peene

Jason Rose

Alexander Stepney

Aidan Tolen

Josh Yago

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