Thursday, September 5
USAFA, CO
6:00 pm MT
Air Force Academy
vs
Montana
Women's soccer kicks off home stand hosting Montana
9/4/2024 12:15:00 PM | Women's Soccer
Head Coach Laura Busby recaps Falcons' Hawaii trip and looks ahead to Montana and NAU
Air Force vs. Montana
Thursday, Sept. 5 | 6 p.m. MT
Cadet Soccer Stadium | U.S, Air Force Academy, Colo.
After a lengthy stay in Hawaii, Air Force Women's Soccer settles into a five-match home stand, opening with Montana on Thursday evening, 6 p.m.
Follow Along:
Thursday's match will be available on the Mountain West Network with Ryan Kaufman and Geoff Bennett on the call; Live scoring of the event will be available via StatBroadcast and can be found via the women's soccer schedule page at goairforcefalcons.com.
Last Time Out:
The Falcons took on the OUTRIGGER No Ka Oi, hosted by Hawaii Athletics. Air Force went 1-1 in their stay at O'ahu, downing Hawaii, 3-0, and falling to standing WAC Tournament Champion Grand Canyon, 2-0.
In the Falcons's victory over the Rainbow Wahine, Freshman Mai Mateaki put up the first and second goals of her early career, scoring the opening goal in just the sixth minute of play off a cross from sophomore Chase Borntreger. Mateaki then followed up with the brace in the 20th minute, taking advantage of a Hawaii turnover to expand the Falcons' lead.
Air Force struck early and often, not only bagging a rapid 2-0 lead in the opening minutes, but blanketed Hawaii in offense throughout the half, taking ten shots, five of which were on-frame. After Mateaki's second score, the Falcons never let up, putting up seven of their attempts at the Hawaii net in the final 14 minutes of the opening half.
Coming out of the locker room, the Air Force defense dug in while Hawaii doubled its efforts, as the Rainbow Wahine put up 15 shots at the Air Force net in the second half compared to just four in the first. Junior goalkeeper Kylie McElroy, now with three starts in the Falcon net, stood unfazed by the Hawaii attack while making three saves to secure the shutout and extend her scoreless streak into Sunday's match against Grand Canyon.
Junior Caeli Sherman added emphasis to the Falcons' offensive efforts on Thursday evening, earning her first goal of 2024 in the 51st minute to inflate Air Force's lead. The Falcons would stand tall through the remainder of the contest on the way to a 3-0 victory.
Falling 2-0 to the Lopes on Sunday, Air Force led GCU in shot attempts throughout the contest, including a 5-1 shot advantage early in the first half, but the Falcons struggled to make threatening plays against the standing Western Athletic Conference Champions, only logging two shots on-frame for the entirety of the match.
Freshman Mai Mateaki, after scoring two of the Falcons' three goals in their Thursday contest, led Air Force with four shots; Junior Caeli Sherman and sophomore Chase Borntreger both followed up with three apiece; Junior Eleanor Musgrove and sophomore Lauren Steinlage each contributed one shot on-goal.
In the 81st minute of a scoreless defensive battle, the Lopes hit pay dirt as GCU's Maddie Brady found Bella Piete to lift Grand Canyon to a late 1-0 lead and to score the first goal against Air Force in 2024. With 53 seconds remaining in the match, GCU's Hannah Smith found the brace in the bottom right of the Falcon goal, leaving Air Force in a 2-0 hole with little time to gain ground.
Mountain West Weekly Superlatives:
Freshman Mai Mateaki was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week, the league announced on Monday.
Mateaki led the Air Force attack in week three, scoring two goals against Hawaii and leading the Falcons in shots (4) against GCU.
The award marks Mateaki's first weekly superlative awarded by the Mountain West and the Falcons' second earned in 2024.
Climbing in the Polls:
Opening the season unranked, Air Force found itself in sixth place in the United Soccer Coaches Pacific Region rankings in week two. After a 3-0 shutout at Hawaii and late loss to Grand Canyon, Air Force falls in at fifth in the regional rankings ahead of Thursday's match:
Montana at a Glance:
The 4-2 Montana Grizzlies rank 22nd nationally in shots per game (20.2) and lead the Big Sky in goal differential (3), goals-against average (.833) and shhutout percentage (.667).
Six separate players sport goals in as many matches for the Griz. Graduate senior forward Jen Estes leads the program with two goals and six points.
Montana currently stands at ninth in the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings.
A Rising Standard:
Air Force opened 2024 with a 3-0 start, defeating Northern Colorado (4-0), California Baptist (1-0) and Hawaii (3-0) - all in shutout fashion. Three-straight shutout wins for Air Force marked the program's first such occurrence since the 1995 season, when the Falcons earned five-straight.
A 4-0 victory over Northern Colorado in the Falcons' season opener represented the program's first four-goal game and first 4-0 shutout since defeating Fresno State in similar fashion on Oct. 24, 2014; An Eleanor Musgrove hat trick was the headline of the evening in Greeley, as the junior secured Air Force's first three-goal individual performance since Mia Otero scored three against UNLV on Oct. 1, 2021.
New-Look Falcons:
Air Force, sporting just 16 competitors from the 2023 season, brought in a freshman class nine strong, forming out an Air Force roster composed primarily of underclassmen for 2023. With nine true freshmen on the roster, Air Force has the second-most in the league behind Fresno State.
Defying Expectations:
Tabbed for a ninth-place finish in the Mountain West Preseason rankings, Air Force currently boasts the third-best record in the conference, behind Utah State (5-0-0) and Boise State (3-0-0).
Thursday, Sept. 5 | 6 p.m. MT
Cadet Soccer Stadium | U.S, Air Force Academy, Colo.
| Air Force: | Montana: | |
| Record: | Laura Busby | Chris Citowicki |
| Conference: | Mountain West | Big Sky |
| Last Game: | vs. Grand Canyon (L, 2-0) | vs. IU Indy (W, 1-0) |
| Next Game: | vs. Northern Arizona (Sept. 8) | at Wyoming (Sept. 8) |
After a lengthy stay in Hawaii, Air Force Women's Soccer settles into a five-match home stand, opening with Montana on Thursday evening, 6 p.m.
Follow Along:
Thursday's match will be available on the Mountain West Network with Ryan Kaufman and Geoff Bennett on the call; Live scoring of the event will be available via StatBroadcast and can be found via the women's soccer schedule page at goairforcefalcons.com.
Last Time Out:
The Falcons took on the OUTRIGGER No Ka Oi, hosted by Hawaii Athletics. Air Force went 1-1 in their stay at O'ahu, downing Hawaii, 3-0, and falling to standing WAC Tournament Champion Grand Canyon, 2-0.
In the Falcons's victory over the Rainbow Wahine, Freshman Mai Mateaki put up the first and second goals of her early career, scoring the opening goal in just the sixth minute of play off a cross from sophomore Chase Borntreger. Mateaki then followed up with the brace in the 20th minute, taking advantage of a Hawaii turnover to expand the Falcons' lead.
Air Force struck early and often, not only bagging a rapid 2-0 lead in the opening minutes, but blanketed Hawaii in offense throughout the half, taking ten shots, five of which were on-frame. After Mateaki's second score, the Falcons never let up, putting up seven of their attempts at the Hawaii net in the final 14 minutes of the opening half.
Coming out of the locker room, the Air Force defense dug in while Hawaii doubled its efforts, as the Rainbow Wahine put up 15 shots at the Air Force net in the second half compared to just four in the first. Junior goalkeeper Kylie McElroy, now with three starts in the Falcon net, stood unfazed by the Hawaii attack while making three saves to secure the shutout and extend her scoreless streak into Sunday's match against Grand Canyon.
Junior Caeli Sherman added emphasis to the Falcons' offensive efforts on Thursday evening, earning her first goal of 2024 in the 51st minute to inflate Air Force's lead. The Falcons would stand tall through the remainder of the contest on the way to a 3-0 victory.
Falling 2-0 to the Lopes on Sunday, Air Force led GCU in shot attempts throughout the contest, including a 5-1 shot advantage early in the first half, but the Falcons struggled to make threatening plays against the standing Western Athletic Conference Champions, only logging two shots on-frame for the entirety of the match.
Freshman Mai Mateaki, after scoring two of the Falcons' three goals in their Thursday contest, led Air Force with four shots; Junior Caeli Sherman and sophomore Chase Borntreger both followed up with three apiece; Junior Eleanor Musgrove and sophomore Lauren Steinlage each contributed one shot on-goal.
In the 81st minute of a scoreless defensive battle, the Lopes hit pay dirt as GCU's Maddie Brady found Bella Piete to lift Grand Canyon to a late 1-0 lead and to score the first goal against Air Force in 2024. With 53 seconds remaining in the match, GCU's Hannah Smith found the brace in the bottom right of the Falcon goal, leaving Air Force in a 2-0 hole with little time to gain ground.
Mountain West Weekly Superlatives:
Freshman Mai Mateaki was named Mountain West Freshman of the Week, the league announced on Monday.
Mateaki led the Air Force attack in week three, scoring two goals against Hawaii and leading the Falcons in shots (4) against GCU.
The award marks Mateaki's first weekly superlative awarded by the Mountain West and the Falcons' second earned in 2024.
Climbing in the Polls:
Opening the season unranked, Air Force found itself in sixth place in the United Soccer Coaches Pacific Region rankings in week two. After a 3-0 shutout at Hawaii and late loss to Grand Canyon, Air Force falls in at fifth in the regional rankings ahead of Thursday's match:
| Rank: | Program: | Prev. | First-Place Votes: | Points: | W-L-T: |
| 1. | Utah State | 1 | 1 | 10 | 5-0-0 |
| 2. | Grand Canyon | 3 | 0 | 9 | 3-1-1 |
| 3. | Boise State | 5 | 0 | 8 | 3-0-0 |
| 4. | Seattle | NR | 0 | 7 | 2-1-1 |
| 5. | Air Force | 6 | 0 | 6 | 3-1-0 |
| 6. | New Mexico | 10 | 0 | 5 | 3-0-0 |
| 7. | Fresno State | 8 | 0 | 4 | 2-1-1 |
| 8. | Colorado State | 7 | 0 | 3 | 3-1-1 |
| 9. | Utah Valley | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1-2-1 |
| 10. | California Baptist | NR | 0 | 1 | 3-2-0 |
Montana at a Glance:
The 4-2 Montana Grizzlies rank 22nd nationally in shots per game (20.2) and lead the Big Sky in goal differential (3), goals-against average (.833) and shhutout percentage (.667).
Six separate players sport goals in as many matches for the Griz. Graduate senior forward Jen Estes leads the program with two goals and six points.
Montana currently stands at ninth in the United Soccer Coaches West Region rankings.
A Rising Standard:
Air Force opened 2024 with a 3-0 start, defeating Northern Colorado (4-0), California Baptist (1-0) and Hawaii (3-0) - all in shutout fashion. Three-straight shutout wins for Air Force marked the program's first such occurrence since the 1995 season, when the Falcons earned five-straight.
A 4-0 victory over Northern Colorado in the Falcons' season opener represented the program's first four-goal game and first 4-0 shutout since defeating Fresno State in similar fashion on Oct. 24, 2014; An Eleanor Musgrove hat trick was the headline of the evening in Greeley, as the junior secured Air Force's first three-goal individual performance since Mia Otero scored three against UNLV on Oct. 1, 2021.
New-Look Falcons:
Air Force, sporting just 16 competitors from the 2023 season, brought in a freshman class nine strong, forming out an Air Force roster composed primarily of underclassmen for 2023. With nine true freshmen on the roster, Air Force has the second-most in the league behind Fresno State.
Defying Expectations:
Tabbed for a ninth-place finish in the Mountain West Preseason rankings, Air Force currently boasts the third-best record in the conference, behind Utah State (5-0-0) and Boise State (3-0-0).
Players Mentioned
M
/ Women's Soccer
M/F
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's Soccer
M
/ Women's Soccer
F
/ Women's Soccer
D/M
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