Falcons Fall Short to Denver in Season Opener

U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo., - In their first game of the season, the Falcons (0-1) came close but fell short to Denver (1-0), 2-1, on Thursday evening at Cadet Soccer Stadium. Air Force saw a strong first half and a penalty kick goal from Caeli Sherman.

The Falcons totaled 19 shots with five on goal, accompanied by a pair of saves from Trishelle Lopez. Addie Doyle, Sherman, Kendall Rippley, AJ Heap, and Maddy Walsh tallied one shot on goal each. Eight freshmen saw the pitch for the first time in their collegiate career.

Head coach Laura Busby commented, "It's the first game of the season and this is a marathon, not a sprint. We have a ton of depth this season and I was proud of some of our younger players who stepped up with confidence to impact the game."

Denver put up two goals in the second half, while Air Force stood strong and took one back with late momentum in 82^nd minute.

The two teams went to the locker room scoreless at the conclusion of the first half. Though the Falcons were behind 11-5 in shots, freshman goalkeeper Trishelle Lopez marked a strong collegiate debut with a pair of saves in the first 45 minutes.

At 62', Samantha Drieling of the Pioneers struck first on a two-assist goal from Luci Vincent and a header from Emma Thielbahr. Isabella Chidiac and Audrey Miller combined to help Dreiling find a one-on-one at the net for a goal in the 80'.

A late handball awarded Air Force with the opportunity for a penalty kick in the 82nd minute. Sherman took the set piece firing top left, over Alina Santos to log the Falcons' first goal of the season and provide Air Force with the chance to equalize with seven minutes left on the clock.

The Falcons were unable to tie it late.

"We need to put our chances away against a good team like DU. We scheduled a tough non-conference slate on purpose so that we would be better prepared for the Mountain West. I am encouraged by what I saw tonight, even though the result was not in our favor," expressed Busby.

Air Force hits the road on Sunday August 17 to face Colorado in Boulder, Colo., at 1p.m. MT.

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