Men’s Soccer Gets Tripped Up Against Sacramento State, 3-1

USAF ACADEMY – Sacramento State outscored Air Force, 3-1, in a Sunday afternoon meeting at Cadet Soccer Stadium. The Falcons' record dropped to 0-4 while the Hornets' improved to 2-2 with the win.

Air Force got off to a strong start, taking four shots on goal in the first 15 minutes. A lightning delay called in the 20^th minute sent the teams to the locker room for 30 minutes while the danger passed. The break did not appear to favor the Falcons as they struggled to get back into their attacking rhythm.

Sacramento State struck first in the 25^th minute as Austin Whener and Alejandro Padilla facilitated the ball to Titus Washington who awkwardly fell into the ball to propel it into the back of the goal.

Less than two minutes later (26:02) the Hornets stung again as Whener assisted Dominic Vegaalban in the second goal of the match.

Down but not out, Air Force got a jolt of energy as a player was fouled in the penalty box in the 30^th minute. Senior team captain Luke Hill stepped up to take the shot, firing a rocket into the left side of the net to beat the keeper with overwhelming ball speed. Hill has three goals this season, two of which are from the PK line. The Falcons entered the halftime locker room trailing, 2-1.

The Hornets took the pitch in the second half more determined— Christo Cervantes struck in the 48^th minute to give Sacrament State an insurance goal. Despite quality attempts, the Falcons were unable to track the hornets down before the clock expired.

At the final horn, Air Force outshot Sacramento State, 14-4; however, the Hornets had more shots on target, 6-4. Luke Hill took a game high four shots with two coming on goal. Greg Hill and Carter Rizzo fired off a pair of shots each. Freshman Noah Higbie and junior Joey Betts both took attempts on the goal.

"This is absolutely not where we want to be, or should be—but we are, so now we have to dig deep and turn it around," head coach Doug Hill said. "I thought we played well, aggressive, and had some good opportunities— but now we need to focus on putting a full 90 minutes together on both sides of the ball. We must come out next Friday guns blazin', or else we'll be on the same track. We can't keep learning lessons."

Next up, Air Force wraps up a four-match home stint as the Falcons host Central Arkansas on Friday (Sept. 8), and UC San Diego on Sunday (Sept. 10). Action at Cadet Soccer Stadium is slated for 6 p.m. and 1 p.m., respectively.

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