Air Force Rumbles Past Bellarmine, 11-7

USAF ACADEMY – Air Force notched its fifth straight win in ASUN Conference action with a convincing 11-7 win over Bellarmine, Saturday afternoon at Falcon Stadium. The Falcons improved to 6-4 on the season with a perfect mark in the league while Bellarmine, who was second in the ASUN prior to today's game, dropped to 7-5, 3-2 ASUN.

Freshman attack man Turner Ashby notched his second hat trick of the season to lead the offense, while junior goalie Jake Marek secured the win in his first career start in cage.

Air Force's team captain and senior midfielder Aidan Tolen was first to light the scoreboard with an assist from Wes Peene. The Falcons and Knights concluded the first quarter knotted up at three with goals from Cole Rassas and Ashby. Junior attacker Josh Yago assisted Ashby in his goal for his 18^th assist this season, the most by any Falcon. Yago finished the game with three assists to make 20 on the year; he leads the ASUN in assists per game (2.00).

Bellarmine took the first and only lead of the game in the second quarter behind Wilson Murphee and Benny O'Rourk's connection. Sophomore midfielder Hunter Panzik and senior team captain Chris Bardak equaled and assumed the lead with a goal apiece, respectively. Yago's second assist was to Bardak to give the Falcons a 5-4 lead heading into the halftime locker room.

The Knights were first to score in the third quarter, but Air Force responded harshly with four-straight goals; two from Ashby, and one from Caelan Driggs and Blaze DeGracie. Ashby has 16 goals this season while Driggs, who took a game-high eight shots, leads the squad with 24 goals to his credit. Bellarmine's Kyle Playstead netted a goal with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter to bring the Knights within three goals, 9-6. Moments later, Cole Rassas extended the lead back to four goals with his ninth strike this season.

Air Force closed out strong in the fourth quarter, holding the Knights to just one goal while Wes Peene hammered in the final nail at 8:36. At the final whistle, Air Force outshot Bellarmine, 48-24. The Falcons' 48 shots marked a season high for the team.

Junior face off man Jake Knapp had a stellar day at the center X, winning 10-17 and collecting four ground balls. Chris Bardak was a force for the Falcons, picking up five ground balls while causing two turnovers in addition to his goal. Sophomore teammate Cole Cunningham also scooped up five ground balls, helping Air Force win the ground ball battle, 32-27. Marek made seven saves in his first career start.

Next up, the Falcons hit the road to take on Detroit Mercy in ASUN Conference action, April 13. Action on Saturday at Titan Field is slated for 11 a.m. ET. The Falcons remain undefeated against Detroit and will look to extend to eight-straight wins against the league foe.

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Team Stats

Turner Ashby

Cole Rassas

Caelan Driggs

Aidan Tolen

Players Mentioned

Turner Ashby

Chris Bardak

Cole Cunningham

Blaze DeGracie

Caelan Driggs

Jake Knapp

Jake Marek

Hunter Panzik

Wes Peene

Cole Rassas

Aidan Tolen

Josh Yago

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