Air Force Picks Up First Win in 2-0 Shutout Over Gonzaga

SPOKANE, Wash., - Air Force women's soccer (1-3-1) played a quality match to collect their first win of the season and shutout Gonzaga (2-3-0), 2-0, on Thursday September 4 at Luger Field. The Falcons displayed great effort and discipline on both halves of the pitch with a pair of goals from Annika Jost and Chase Borntreger, along with seven saves and the first shutout of the season for Kylie McElroy.

"Tonight was a fantastic team effort and three huge points on the road," expressed head coach Laura Busby. "Gonzaga was incredibly athletic and asked a lot of questions with our backline with their direct style of play."

Air Force set the tempo and tone quickly in the first half, showing grit both defensively and on the attack. After seeing pressure on the defensive third early, Caeli Sherman ignited the offensive momentum with the Falcons' first shot of the evening. In the 11^th minute, Kendall Rippley delivered a well-placed pass across the box. Though it narrowly missed AJ Heap, it found the right foot of sophomore Jost who sent the ball to the back of the net, marking the first time AF has claimed the upper hand and Jost's first goal this season, 1-0.

As the half progressed, defenders Jordan Dillingham and Raine Komata applied strong pressure and anchored the backline to deflect the Zags. In goal, McElroy tallied a trio of saves, including a critical stop on a Gonzaga penalty kick, which the senior read correctly and did not allow a rebound. "Kylie came up with a big time save on the penalty," commented Busby.

The Bulldogs maintained a lot of control in the second half, until a shot from Heap shifted the energy back in favor of Air Force. To put the Falcons in a strong 2-0 position, Borntreger cut to the inside from just within the box, giving her enough room to hit perfectly inside the right post at the 82' mark. Busby remarked, "Chase had a great back post finish to kill the game off."

Though Gonzaga outshot Air Force 17-10 and took 11 corner kicks, the Falcons powered through and collaborated well to earn their first win of 2025. Coach Busby explained, "It feels like things are finally starting to click for us on the attacking side of the ball and I am excited to see what this team can accomplish this season."

The Falcons will stay out in west to play at Eastern Washington on Sunday September 7, at 12 p.m. PT/1 p.m. MT.

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