Friday, February 28
USAFA, CO
12:00 PM
Air Force Academy
1-4
21
vs
8
Quinnipiac
0-4
1
2
3
4
F
Quinnipiac
3
1
2
2
8
Air Force
2
6
8
5
21
Air Force Rearranges the Record Book in 21-8 Routing of Quinnipiac
2/28/2025 4:05:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
USAF ACADEMY, Colo. – Air Force impacted the record book in the 21-8 routing of Quinnipiac in non-conference action, Friday afternoon, at Falcon Stadium. The Falcons tallied their first win of the season (1-4) while the Bobcats remain in the hunt (0-4).
SIGNIFICANT STATS
-The Falcons' 38 points is the most single-game points in program history, overtaking the 35-point game against Bellarmine in 2017.
-AF's 17 assists are the most single-game assists in program history, overtaking the 14 assists made against Mercer in 2019.
-The Falcons took a season-best 50 shots on the game, 31were taken on goal
-Air Force nearly tripled its season goals average for the most goals scored since beating Detroit Mercy, 22-15, in 2023.
-Two Falcons had seven-point showings in Caelan Driggs with four goals and three assists, and Josh Yago with three goals and four helps. Both Driggs and Yago attempted a game high eight shots apiece.
-Yago averages 2.6 assists per game for the second-most in the ASUN, and his 51 career assists tied Mike Crampton ('14) for fifth place in the record book.
-Sophomore Mana Wilhelm notched his first career hat trick, marking the first time this season that three Falcons had hat tricks in a single game.
-Freshman AJ Serna broke the seal with his first collegiate goals, scoring twice in the fourth quarter.
-Air Force cleared the ball in 23-of-25 attempts for the most clears and highest clearing percentage this season.
-Eight Falcons combined for nine caused turnovers while the team scooped up a season best 36 ground balls.
-Senior keeper Jake Marek wrangled his first win of the campaign with eight saves.
GAME NOTES
-Air Force tied the all-time series with the Bobcats, 5-5. The Falcons are now 4-2 against Quinnipiac when playing at USAFA
-The last time the Falcons got off to a 1-4 start was in 2022— they went on to have a winning season (8-7, 3-2 ASUN).
-AF has three more games remaining before ASUN play and a chance to break even on the non-conference schedule: Marist, Duke, and Marquette.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter:
The Bobcats came out swinging, scoring the first two goals in the opening five minutes. Undeterred, AF 's Mana Wilhelm and Wes Peene responded with goals to tie it up with three minutes remaining in the quarter. Quinnipiac took the advantage with a goal from Owen Murray to take the lead at the end of the first quarter, 3-2.
Second Quarter:
Air Force exploded out of the gates in the second quarter, rattling off five straight goals from 13:58 to 5:35. Peene scored the tying goal with help from Driggs at 13:58. Freshman Alex Rismani scored his third goal of the season just over a minute after via feed from Yago. At 11:17, sophomore Ryan Stadelmaier scored his third goal this season via Driggs' help. Yago put up an unassisted goal in the man-up situation at 9:04. Driggs and Wilhelm rounded out the scoring on the half with help from Rassas and Peene at 6:19 and 5:35, respectively. Quinnipiac got the last strike of the half as Owen Murray scored his second goal of the game in an unassisted attack at 4:00. The Falcons took the locker room at half with an 8-4 lead and a 27-17 advantage in shots.
Third Quarter:
The Falcons had their most prolific output in the third quarter, scoring a season-best eight goals to match their goals per game average heading into the contest. Rassas was first to score out of the break in an unassisted attack at 12:45. Yago was a man on fire thereafter scoring two goals in 18 seconds with help from Driggs and Cole Cunningham. Quinnipiac slowed the bleeding with a goal from Justin Robert via Murray's feed at 8:02. The Falcons put up four-straight goals in response with Driggs, Wilhelm and Stadelmaier combining for four goals between 7:43 and 2:21. The Bobcats scored their last goal of the quarter at 1:13. In the waning seconds of the quarter, Stadelmaier recovered a deflection and dished it to Driggs for a goal with one second on the ticker. Air Force had a 16-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
The Falcons refused to relent, scoring five more goals before seeing a response from Quinnipiac. Senior Alexander Stepney scored his first goal this season via Rassas' help at 14:15. Freshman AJ Serna scored two straight goals at 10:59 and 7:27 with assists from classmate Lee Krotee and Hunter Panzik, respectively. Less than a minute later, Panzik assisted senior Matt Rubino in his first goal of the campaign. Panzik capped his performance with an unassisted goal at 5:33. The Bobcats put up two goals in the final five minutes.
NEXT UP
The Falcons hold the line at USAFA as they welcome Marist to USAFA for a non-conference meeting on Sunday (Mar. 2). Action at Falcon Stadium is scheduled for noon. Air Force leads Marist in the all-time series, 4-2.
Installation Access Requirements
The U.S. Air Force Academy processes to access the installation continue to affect athletic events. While the installation remains open, if you do not have a DoD ID card you will need to obtain a pass to enter the base. Ticket holders wishing to attend can request a base pass by using the links below for each game. Once you register, you will receive a message with a QR code on your phone to present at the gate when entering the Academy. Fans will present game tickets when entering each venue. All ticketed/credentialed attendees will need to enter through the North Gate only to get to the Cadet Field House.
Intercollegiate Athletic Events, Feb. 28-Mar. 2, Click HERE.
Lacrosse (2/28) vs. Quinnipiac, 12 p.m.
Baseball (2/28) vs. Army, 2 p.m.
Boxing (2/28), Wing Open Finals, 6 p.m.
Hockey (3/1) AHA Playoffs, 5 p.m.
Women's Tennis (3/1) vs. Omaha, 10 a.m.
Women's Basketball (3/1) vs. Boise State, 1 p.m.
Baseball (3/1) vs. Army, 1 p.m.
Baseball (3/2) vs. Army, 12 p.m.
Lacrosse (3/2) vs. Marist, 12 p.m.
SIGNIFICANT STATS
-The Falcons' 38 points is the most single-game points in program history, overtaking the 35-point game against Bellarmine in 2017.
-AF's 17 assists are the most single-game assists in program history, overtaking the 14 assists made against Mercer in 2019.
-The Falcons took a season-best 50 shots on the game, 31were taken on goal
-Air Force nearly tripled its season goals average for the most goals scored since beating Detroit Mercy, 22-15, in 2023.
-Two Falcons had seven-point showings in Caelan Driggs with four goals and three assists, and Josh Yago with three goals and four helps. Both Driggs and Yago attempted a game high eight shots apiece.
-Yago averages 2.6 assists per game for the second-most in the ASUN, and his 51 career assists tied Mike Crampton ('14) for fifth place in the record book.
-Sophomore Mana Wilhelm notched his first career hat trick, marking the first time this season that three Falcons had hat tricks in a single game.
-Freshman AJ Serna broke the seal with his first collegiate goals, scoring twice in the fourth quarter.
-Air Force cleared the ball in 23-of-25 attempts for the most clears and highest clearing percentage this season.
-Eight Falcons combined for nine caused turnovers while the team scooped up a season best 36 ground balls.
-Senior keeper Jake Marek wrangled his first win of the campaign with eight saves.
GAME NOTES
-Air Force tied the all-time series with the Bobcats, 5-5. The Falcons are now 4-2 against Quinnipiac when playing at USAFA
-The last time the Falcons got off to a 1-4 start was in 2022— they went on to have a winning season (8-7, 3-2 ASUN).
-AF has three more games remaining before ASUN play and a chance to break even on the non-conference schedule: Marist, Duke, and Marquette.
HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter:
The Bobcats came out swinging, scoring the first two goals in the opening five minutes. Undeterred, AF 's Mana Wilhelm and Wes Peene responded with goals to tie it up with three minutes remaining in the quarter. Quinnipiac took the advantage with a goal from Owen Murray to take the lead at the end of the first quarter, 3-2.
Second Quarter:
Air Force exploded out of the gates in the second quarter, rattling off five straight goals from 13:58 to 5:35. Peene scored the tying goal with help from Driggs at 13:58. Freshman Alex Rismani scored his third goal of the season just over a minute after via feed from Yago. At 11:17, sophomore Ryan Stadelmaier scored his third goal this season via Driggs' help. Yago put up an unassisted goal in the man-up situation at 9:04. Driggs and Wilhelm rounded out the scoring on the half with help from Rassas and Peene at 6:19 and 5:35, respectively. Quinnipiac got the last strike of the half as Owen Murray scored his second goal of the game in an unassisted attack at 4:00. The Falcons took the locker room at half with an 8-4 lead and a 27-17 advantage in shots.
Third Quarter:
The Falcons had their most prolific output in the third quarter, scoring a season-best eight goals to match their goals per game average heading into the contest. Rassas was first to score out of the break in an unassisted attack at 12:45. Yago was a man on fire thereafter scoring two goals in 18 seconds with help from Driggs and Cole Cunningham. Quinnipiac slowed the bleeding with a goal from Justin Robert via Murray's feed at 8:02. The Falcons put up four-straight goals in response with Driggs, Wilhelm and Stadelmaier combining for four goals between 7:43 and 2:21. The Bobcats scored their last goal of the quarter at 1:13. In the waning seconds of the quarter, Stadelmaier recovered a deflection and dished it to Driggs for a goal with one second on the ticker. Air Force had a 16-6 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
The Falcons refused to relent, scoring five more goals before seeing a response from Quinnipiac. Senior Alexander Stepney scored his first goal this season via Rassas' help at 14:15. Freshman AJ Serna scored two straight goals at 10:59 and 7:27 with assists from classmate Lee Krotee and Hunter Panzik, respectively. Less than a minute later, Panzik assisted senior Matt Rubino in his first goal of the campaign. Panzik capped his performance with an unassisted goal at 5:33. The Bobcats put up two goals in the final five minutes.
NEXT UP
The Falcons hold the line at USAFA as they welcome Marist to USAFA for a non-conference meeting on Sunday (Mar. 2). Action at Falcon Stadium is scheduled for noon. Air Force leads Marist in the all-time series, 4-2.
Installation Access Requirements
The U.S. Air Force Academy processes to access the installation continue to affect athletic events. While the installation remains open, if you do not have a DoD ID card you will need to obtain a pass to enter the base. Ticket holders wishing to attend can request a base pass by using the links below for each game. Once you register, you will receive a message with a QR code on your phone to present at the gate when entering the Academy. Fans will present game tickets when entering each venue. All ticketed/credentialed attendees will need to enter through the North Gate only to get to the Cadet Field House.
Intercollegiate Athletic Events, Feb. 28-Mar. 2, Click HERE.
Lacrosse (2/28) vs. Quinnipiac, 12 p.m.
Baseball (2/28) vs. Army, 2 p.m.
Boxing (2/28), Wing Open Finals, 6 p.m.
Hockey (3/1) AHA Playoffs, 5 p.m.
Women's Tennis (3/1) vs. Omaha, 10 a.m.
Women's Basketball (3/1) vs. Boise State, 1 p.m.
Baseball (3/1) vs. Army, 1 p.m.
Baseball (3/2) vs. Army, 12 p.m.
Lacrosse (3/2) vs. Marist, 12 p.m.
Team Stats
QUIN
AFA
Shots
32
50
Turnovers
17
10
Caused Turnovers
3
9
Faceoffs Won
18
14
Extra-Man Opps
1
2
Ground Balls
19
36
Game Leaders
G
4
A
3
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
3
CT
1
G
3
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
0
CT
0
G
2
A
1
FO
-
Pen
-
GB
2
CT
0
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
D
/ Men's Lacrosse
GK
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
A
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
M
/ Men's Lacrosse
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