Sunday, February 1
USAFA, CO
12:00PM
Air Force Academy
vs
Lafayette
Lacrosse Hosts Lafayette in the 2026 Season Opener
1/31/2026 12:17:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse
AIR FORCE (0-0) vs. LAFAYETTE (0-0)
12 pm MT, Sunday, February 1
Falcon Stadium – USAF Academy, Colo.
Let's Get Started
Air Force opens the 2026 campaign with a season-opening rematch against Lafayette exactly one year to the day at Falcon Stadium. Action is slated for 12 pm MT at the U.S. Air Force Academy and will mark the third all-time meeting between the teams. The series is tied at one-one.
At the Helm
The 2025 ASUN Coach of the Year, Bill Wilson, returns to for his eighth season as head coach of Air Force Lacrosse and his 17th overall season with the team. Since joining the ASUN Conference in 2022, coach Wilson has led the Falcons to a 2025 Conference Tournament title and a share of two regular season ASUN titles in 2024 and 2025. He has guided the Falcons to four top three finishes with four conference tournament appearances in as many tries— making it to the ASUN Championship on two occasions.
Since taking the reins as head coach, Wilson has led three honorable mention All-Americans and 34 all-conference selections highlighted by four conference Player of the Year nods. Wilson also led Air Force to their first victory over legendary head coach Bill Tierney's Denver Pioneers in 2023, marking Tierney's first-ever loss to Air Force.
Air Force senior Caelan Driggs and senior teammate Matt Rosato have been elected captains for the 2026 campaign. Driggs, a 2025 All-ASUN selection, set the standard for single season goals scored in 2025 (60). Rosato, a 6'4'' defender out of Villanova, Pennsylvania, started in every appearance but one last season.
Last Time They Played
Lafayette rallied from behind to take down Air Force in the 2025 season opener, 11-8, February 1, at Fisher Stadium. A lackluster second half for the Falcons proved to be the difference in the game as AF scored just two goals in the second thirty minutes. Cole Rassas led the offense with a hat trick showing.
Let's Talk Air Force
Air Force's leading scorer, Caelan Driggs, returns for his senior season with 97 career goals, a mark that ties him for fifth in the record book. A 30-goal season will tie Mike Crampton for the program record (127, 2011-14), while anything more pushes the bar to new heights. Also set to return to the attack unit is senior Ryan Stadelmaier who scored 22 goals last season.
In the midfield, preseason All-ASUN selections Cole Rassas and Mana Wilhelm are returning for their senior and junior campaign, respectively. The duo combined for 24 goals and 24 assists last season.
2025 ASUN Specialist of the Year, Cole Cunningham, will be wielding the long pole for his senior year. Cunningham led the Falcons with 85 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers last season. SSDM junior Charlie Pyfer who scooped up 35 GBs and caused 11 turnovers can be expected to make waves in his junior season. Team captain Matt Rosato and 2025 ASUN All-Freshman Aidan Chairs will anchor the defense.
With three young goalies on the roster, it is yet to be determined who will be the primary. Matt Deedy, a sophomore, saw action in four games last season. The remaining GKs are newly minted C4Cs.
A Look at the Leopards
Lafayette will take the field under the command of the 2025 William Lawson Patriot League Coach of the Year, Pat Meyers, in his eighth season as the Leopard's head coach. Meyers led the Leopards to the 10-win mark for the first time in program history in 2025. Lafayette was picked to finish fifth in the competitive Patriot League according to preseason coaches' polls.
The Leopards are returning three of their top four scorers from last season in Joshua Heaney (25g, 8a), Nicholas Blalock (24g, 5a), and Benjamin DiBattista (21g, 5a). Leading scorer and All-America honorable mention, Riley Sullivan (30g, 45a), has since graduated.
In goal, Lafayette returns senior goalie Joe Doherty who started all 16 games last season. He concluded 2025 with a 9.71 GAA and a .538 save percentage.
Falcons Picked to Finish Second in ASUN Preseason Poll
Air Force was picked to finish second in the league according to the coaches' poll voted on by the ASUN's six head coaches. Four Falcons earned spots on the preseason all-conference team.
Air Force senior Caelan Driggs, a 2025 All-ASUN selection and the third leading scorer in the NCAA last season, earned a spot among the attackmen. Senior Cole Rassas and junior Mana Wilhelm accounted for two of the three midfielder spots. The ASUN's 2025 Specialist of the Year, Cole Cunningham, earned a unanimous vote for LSM; he was one-of-three to earn the overwhelming nod.
Utah swept the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Preseason Men's Lacrosse superlative awards and was tabbed the favorite,
The Utes are coming off a 6-9 season that saw the program reach the tournament final for the fourth consecutive year, but fell short to the Air Force Falcons who were slated second. Air Force claimed its first tournament title last season after defeating Utah 11-10. The Jacksonville Dolphins, who round out the top three, finished last season with a 9-5 overall record.
Utah's Ryan Stines was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year while fellow Utes, Nikko DiPonio and Tyler Kloeckl were named Preseason Defensive Player and Preseason Specialist of the Year, respectively.
Last season, Stines recorded 23 goals, 40 assists and 63 points. The Cary, N.C., native notched a .582 SOG% and two of the Utes' 10 goals in last year's final. DiPonio closed out last season ranked 12th nationally in ground balls per game with 6.85. The senior and 2025 Defensive Player of the Year recorded five or more ground balls in 11-of-15 matches last season. Kloeckl, a Lakeville, Minn., native recorded 134 face-off wins and 58 ground balls last season. He ranked 20th nationally in face-off winning percentage with a .573.
A Look Ahead
The Falcons hit the road to take on in-state rival University of Denver, Saturday, February 7. Action at Peter Barton Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
Last Season in a Nutshell
Air Force turned a 2-7 start to the season to a seven-game winning streak headed into the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, picking up an ASUN Tournament title and their second regular season title along the way. Josh Yago earned All-American honorable mention along with ASUN Offensive Player of the Year while teammate Cole Cunningham was voted Specialist of the Year. Five Falcons earned conference post-season honors and the Falcons won their first NCAA Tournament game since defeating Richmond in the Play-In in 2014.
12 pm MT, Sunday, February 1
Falcon Stadium – USAF Academy, Colo.
Let's Get Started
Air Force opens the 2026 campaign with a season-opening rematch against Lafayette exactly one year to the day at Falcon Stadium. Action is slated for 12 pm MT at the U.S. Air Force Academy and will mark the third all-time meeting between the teams. The series is tied at one-one.
At the Helm
The 2025 ASUN Coach of the Year, Bill Wilson, returns to for his eighth season as head coach of Air Force Lacrosse and his 17th overall season with the team. Since joining the ASUN Conference in 2022, coach Wilson has led the Falcons to a 2025 Conference Tournament title and a share of two regular season ASUN titles in 2024 and 2025. He has guided the Falcons to four top three finishes with four conference tournament appearances in as many tries— making it to the ASUN Championship on two occasions.
Since taking the reins as head coach, Wilson has led three honorable mention All-Americans and 34 all-conference selections highlighted by four conference Player of the Year nods. Wilson also led Air Force to their first victory over legendary head coach Bill Tierney's Denver Pioneers in 2023, marking Tierney's first-ever loss to Air Force.
Air Force senior Caelan Driggs and senior teammate Matt Rosato have been elected captains for the 2026 campaign. Driggs, a 2025 All-ASUN selection, set the standard for single season goals scored in 2025 (60). Rosato, a 6'4'' defender out of Villanova, Pennsylvania, started in every appearance but one last season.
Last Time They Played
Lafayette rallied from behind to take down Air Force in the 2025 season opener, 11-8, February 1, at Fisher Stadium. A lackluster second half for the Falcons proved to be the difference in the game as AF scored just two goals in the second thirty minutes. Cole Rassas led the offense with a hat trick showing.
Let's Talk Air Force
Air Force's leading scorer, Caelan Driggs, returns for his senior season with 97 career goals, a mark that ties him for fifth in the record book. A 30-goal season will tie Mike Crampton for the program record (127, 2011-14), while anything more pushes the bar to new heights. Also set to return to the attack unit is senior Ryan Stadelmaier who scored 22 goals last season.
In the midfield, preseason All-ASUN selections Cole Rassas and Mana Wilhelm are returning for their senior and junior campaign, respectively. The duo combined for 24 goals and 24 assists last season.
2025 ASUN Specialist of the Year, Cole Cunningham, will be wielding the long pole for his senior year. Cunningham led the Falcons with 85 ground balls and 17 caused turnovers last season. SSDM junior Charlie Pyfer who scooped up 35 GBs and caused 11 turnovers can be expected to make waves in his junior season. Team captain Matt Rosato and 2025 ASUN All-Freshman Aidan Chairs will anchor the defense.
With three young goalies on the roster, it is yet to be determined who will be the primary. Matt Deedy, a sophomore, saw action in four games last season. The remaining GKs are newly minted C4Cs.
A Look at the Leopards
Lafayette will take the field under the command of the 2025 William Lawson Patriot League Coach of the Year, Pat Meyers, in his eighth season as the Leopard's head coach. Meyers led the Leopards to the 10-win mark for the first time in program history in 2025. Lafayette was picked to finish fifth in the competitive Patriot League according to preseason coaches' polls.
The Leopards are returning three of their top four scorers from last season in Joshua Heaney (25g, 8a), Nicholas Blalock (24g, 5a), and Benjamin DiBattista (21g, 5a). Leading scorer and All-America honorable mention, Riley Sullivan (30g, 45a), has since graduated.
In goal, Lafayette returns senior goalie Joe Doherty who started all 16 games last season. He concluded 2025 with a 9.71 GAA and a .538 save percentage.
Falcons Picked to Finish Second in ASUN Preseason Poll
Air Force was picked to finish second in the league according to the coaches' poll voted on by the ASUN's six head coaches. Four Falcons earned spots on the preseason all-conference team.
Air Force senior Caelan Driggs, a 2025 All-ASUN selection and the third leading scorer in the NCAA last season, earned a spot among the attackmen. Senior Cole Rassas and junior Mana Wilhelm accounted for two of the three midfielder spots. The ASUN's 2025 Specialist of the Year, Cole Cunningham, earned a unanimous vote for LSM; he was one-of-three to earn the overwhelming nod.
Utah swept the 2026 Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN) Preseason Men's Lacrosse superlative awards and was tabbed the favorite,
The Utes are coming off a 6-9 season that saw the program reach the tournament final for the fourth consecutive year, but fell short to the Air Force Falcons who were slated second. Air Force claimed its first tournament title last season after defeating Utah 11-10. The Jacksonville Dolphins, who round out the top three, finished last season with a 9-5 overall record.
Utah's Ryan Stines was named Preseason Offensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year while fellow Utes, Nikko DiPonio and Tyler Kloeckl were named Preseason Defensive Player and Preseason Specialist of the Year, respectively.
Last season, Stines recorded 23 goals, 40 assists and 63 points. The Cary, N.C., native notched a .582 SOG% and two of the Utes' 10 goals in last year's final. DiPonio closed out last season ranked 12th nationally in ground balls per game with 6.85. The senior and 2025 Defensive Player of the Year recorded five or more ground balls in 11-of-15 matches last season. Kloeckl, a Lakeville, Minn., native recorded 134 face-off wins and 58 ground balls last season. He ranked 20th nationally in face-off winning percentage with a .573.
A Look Ahead
The Falcons hit the road to take on in-state rival University of Denver, Saturday, February 7. Action at Peter Barton Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
Last Season in a Nutshell
Air Force turned a 2-7 start to the season to a seven-game winning streak headed into the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, picking up an ASUN Tournament title and their second regular season title along the way. Josh Yago earned All-American honorable mention along with ASUN Offensive Player of the Year while teammate Cole Cunningham was voted Specialist of the Year. Five Falcons earned conference post-season honors and the Falcons won their first NCAA Tournament game since defeating Richmond in the Play-In in 2014.
Players Mentioned
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