(2) Air Force Lacrosse Takes on (3) Jacksonville in ASUN Semifinals this Friday

ASUN Semifinals
(2) AIR FORCE (9-5, 8-1 ASUN) vs. (3) JACKSONVILLE (12-4, 8-1ASUN)
2 p.m. MT, Friday, May 3
Falcon Stadium - USAF Academy, Colo.

THE SERIES
The Falcons and Dolphins are meeting for the 14^th time in program history, and second time in conference playoff action (SoCon 2017) with AF leading the all-time series, 8-5. Air Force is 3-3 against JU when playing at USAFA, most recently losing an overtime heart breaker to Jacksonville, 10-9 OT, on April 20 this season.

LAST TIME THEY PLAYED
Jacksonville rallied from behind to knock off the front-running Falcons in overtime, 10-9, at a foggy Falcon Stadium, Saturday afternoon (Apr. 20). Air Force took its first conference loss of the season at the fins of the JU.

The Falcons got off to a hot start with a 5-0 scoring run over the first 27 minutes of the ASUN heavyweight clash, but it was Jacksonville's five goals in the fourth quarter that ultimately produced the winner. Turner Ashby and Huner Panzik led AF with two goals apiece while Jacob Greiner and Jackson Intrieri led JU with three and two goals, respectively.

TIDBITS
-JU is on a six-game win streak heading into the semifinals; Air Force was on a six-game win streak when the Dolphins beat them two weeks ago.
-Two Dolphins have 50+ points in Greiner (64 pts, 37 g, 27 a) and Intrieri (53 pts, 32 g, 21 a)
-AF's Josh Yago has 52 points on the season (23g, 29 a), picking up where Brandon Dodd left off last season (59 pts in 2023, and 70 pts in 2022)
-Turner Ashby won ASUN Freshman of the Year, leading all league freshmen in points (41) and goals (27). He is AF's first conference freshman of the year since Brandon Jones in 2016 (SoCon).
-Chris Bardak earned All-ASUN first team, marking his second-straight year earning the honor.
-The Falcons lead the ASUN, fifth in the NCAA, in man-down defense (.775). Air Force also leads the ASUN, sixth in NCAA, in scoring defense (9.29). The Falcons lead the league in opponent clearing percentage (.819), ranking 14^th best in the NCAA.
-The Dolphins lead the nation and the ASUN in assists per game (10.00). JU also leads the ASUN in face-off win percentage (.562), ground balls per game (34.38), man-up offense (.456), points per game (24.38), scoring margin (4.75), shot percentage (.329), and winning percentage (.750).
-Despite JU's face off unit leading the ASUN in f/o win percentage, AF face off man Jake Knapp won 13-of-22 (.590) face offs in the regular season meeting.

AIR FORCE NOTABLES
-Air Force's 7-0 conference start marked the best league start since going undefeated in the Southern Conference in 2016. The eight league wins this year is a program record for conference wins in a single season.
-Junior Josh Yago was tabbed All-ASUN first team, leading the team in assists (29) and points (52). He leads the ASUN in assists per game (2.07); a mark that ranks him 23^rd across the NCAA. Yago has scored a point in every game this season and put up a goal in 11 games. He had a career day against Cleveland State, scoring seven points by way of four goals and three assists. He one-upped himself against Mercer with an eight-point show by way of three goals and five assists. Yago is second in the record book in single season assists (29) with the top mark being held by Keith Dreyer (31, 2014)
-Freshman Turner Ashby, the ASUN Freshman of the Year, was named to the Inside Lacrosse Top-25 Midseason Freshman Impact list. Ashby has three hat tricks this season, highlighted by a five-goal performance in the regular season finale at Robert Morris. With 27 goals in his inaugural campaign, he is third in all-time freshmen goals behind Chris Walsch (37, 2015). He has scored in all but one game of the season.
-Sophomore Caelan Driggs leads Air Force in goals (29) and has 34 points. He has three hat tricks (4g, 4g, 5g), and had a five-goal performance against Lindenwood. He has scored a point in all but one game this season and a goal in 12-of-14 appearances.
-The Air Force defense is led by co-team captains Chris Bardak and James Chastain. The duo combines for 33 caused turnovers— Bardak with 20, Chastain with 13. Bardak has 44 ground balls, the most by any non-face off Falcon. The Falcon defense also gets much of its muscle from Cole Cunningham (9 CTO, 38 gb), and Daniel Enoch (9 CTO, 26 gb). In terms of scoring, Bardak has four goals and seven assists while Cunningham has two goals and one assist.
-At center X, Jake Knapp takes the lion's share of face off attempts. He has a .491 win-percentage on the season and a season-best 17 face off wins against Queens. He is fourth in the ASUN in ground balls per game (4.36) and fifth in the league in face off win percentage.

WHEN THE DUST SETTLED
At the conclusion of the 2024 ASUN slate, Air Force finished as regular season co-champions with Jacksonville and Utah. The regular-season title marked the fifth regular season title for Air Force since 2014. Senior defender Chris Bardak earned his second-straight All-ASUN first team honor (defense), while Josh Yago was tabbed first team All-ASUN for the first time. Turner Ashby was tabbed ASUN Freshman of the Year and found a comfortable spot on the ASUN All-Freshman team.

FIGHTIN' FRESHMEN
AF freshmen Turner Ashby, Jake Mason, Mana Wilhelm, Jake Park, Kuck Patton and Blaze DeGracie combine for 43 goals and 24 assists. Ashby was tabbed AF's first conference Freshman of the Year in eight years. He has started in every game this season.

MAREK WINS DFENSIVE POTW
Air Force junior Jake Marek was tabbed ASUN Defensive Player of the Week following a stellar performance in goal at Detroit Mercy. Marek allowed just one goal and made 11 saves in 45 minutes of action. In three shows in goal, Marek has allowed just nine goals and has a 5.04 GAA and .667 save percentage. Marek is the first Player of the Week honoree for AF this season.

LAST TIME OUT
Air Force brought the 2024 regular season campaign to a close with a 14-11 win against ASUN rival Robert Morris at Joe Walton Stadium. The Falcons rallied from an early deficit to put up a season high eight goals in the third quarter. Freshman attacker Turner Ashby scored a career best five goals in his third hat trick performance this season while teammate Josh Yago put up four goals for his third hat trick this season.

COMING UP
The winner of (2) Air Force and (3) Jacksonville will square off against the winner of (1) Utah and (5) Cleveland State in the 2024 ASUN Championship at Falcon Stadium, USAFA. Action is slated for Sunday, May 5, at 11 a.m. MT. Utah is the reigning ASUN Champion.

(2) Air Force Lacrosse Takes on (3) Jacksonville in ASUN Semifinals this Friday

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Players Mentioned

Turner Ashby

Chris Bardak

James Chastain

Cole Cunningham

Blaze DeGracie

Brandon Dodd

Caelan Driggs

Daniel Enoch

Jake Knapp

Jake Marek

Jake Mason

Jake Park

Mana Wilhelm

Josh Yago

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