Air Force Battles Back to Down Mercer, 2-1

USAF ACADEMY – The Falcon men's soccer team is back in the win column for the first time since October of last year, battling back from an early deficit to knock down Mercer, 2-1, Thursday evening at Cadet Soccer Stadium. Air Force players, behind first-year head coach Grag Dalby, landed their first career win at the Academy. The Bears, who played No. 22 USF to a tie last weekend, dropped to 2-3-2 with the loss.

Mercer set an ominous tone early on at Cadet Soccer Stadium, scoring their first goal just over two minutes into the match. The Bears' Junior Casillas initiated the attack from the center line, sending the ball down to Liam Corr who collected and redirected it to Eli Bannister who threaded the ball nearside.

Despite the early misfortune, Air Force (1-4-1) remained composed and pressed on with their game plan. In the 16^th minute, team captain C3C Oliver Becker lined up for a corner kick on the near side. Becker serviced the ball nicely into the box where C4C Oliver Wagner leaped above and beyond to head the ball into the goal off the crossbar for AF's first strike. The header marked Wagner's first collegiate strike while Becker was tabbed with his third assist this season.

The Bears' Ehi Aimiuwu took a quality attempt in the 36^th minute, but it was C3C goalie Brody Smith who made an athletic leap and extension to punch the ball out of play to keep the teams equal.

At the halftime horn, Air Force and Mercer hit the locker room knotted at one. For the second-straight match, AF outshot the opponent in the first 45. Despite being significantly outshot by opponents in the early season— the Falcons' improvement in shooting opportunities is testament to the rapid growth of the young team under coach Dalby and staff.

With the match tied, both teams set upon the pitch with the same objective—score first. Air Force capitalized and was first to strike in the second half, this time it was C3C walk-on and AF goals leader Marcos Goni who battled through his defender in the far corner and chipped the ball across the box to Odle who one-touched it midair to the back of the net (77'). The goal and assist marked Odle and Goni's collegiate first, respectively.

With the lead in hand, Air Force continued to outwork Mercer, controlling the possessions while conceding just two shots in the final 22 minutes. The final horn sounded with AF taking the last shot attempt and the Falcons on top.

Falcon keeper Brody Smith concluded the match with three saves in 90 minutes in goal. Attila Toth, Tucker Kern, Quinn Muderlak, Andrei Bulankou (C), Joe Bennett, and Oliver Wagner all clocked 90 minutes of action in the effort.

The Falcons' 13 shots on the match equaled their season best set last week. Becker and Toth led the match with three shots each.

Air Force rallied to its first win of the season in the newly brandished Space Force kit. The U.S. Air Force Academy is the premier undergraduate commissioning source for the Space Force. Each year, about 10% of each class commission as Guardians. The Academy has always been the place for space, housing one of the only undergraduate programs in the nation to design, develop and fly real-world satellites, and offer space-focused majors. The Space Force was created to protect US interests in, from, through and to space. The U.S. Air Force Academy is here to train and inspire the men and women who are ready to lead these efforts.

Next up, Air Force hangs around the Academy to welcome South Dakota School of Mines in non-conference action, Sunday, September 14. Action at Cadet Soccer Stadium is slated for 1pm kickoff.

Players Mentioned

Oliver Becker

Joe Bennett

Andrei Bulankou

Marcos Goni

Tucker Kern

Quinn Muderlak

Brody Smith

Attila Toth

Oliver Wagner

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