April 12, 2008By Gregory Moore | Herald Sports Writer

By the time Friday night’s Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Conference showdown between Fort Lewis and Westminster College was over, both teams were ice cold.

That was understandable as the mercury plunged at Dennison Stadium and a bitter wind pounded the college mesa.

But despite being fired up to play the No.1-ranked small college club lacrosse team in the nation, the Skyhawks - ranked No. 4 - started the game cold as well, falling behind early and losing to the Griffins 14-7.

“We just couldn’t get it together at the start of the game,” said Skyhawk head coach John Robinette.

“We had three openings at the start of the (first) quarter that could have changed the game, but we just weren’t executing.”

The Griffins, on the other hand, put on a first-half clinic in passing and patience.

At the break, Westminster led 8-1, spurred on by the chance to defend that top ranking and a playoff incentive. Only a score from FLC’s Erik Johnson kept the home team from being shut out in the half.

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The Air Force lacrosse team finishes up the second half of a two-game homestand on Sunday, April 13, when it hosts Quinnipiac in a GWLL contest. The game is slated to begin at 12:00 p.m. at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium.
Scouting the Falcons…
Air Force (3-5, 1-1) picked up its first GWLL win of the season Friday, defeating Bellarmine in a 13-8 come-from-behind victory. Leading the way for the Falcons’ offense was junior Griffin Nevitt and senior David Rose, who each tallied four goals and an assist.
Nevitt is the Falcons’ leading scorer on the year with 15 goals and six assists on the season, while Rose is second on the team with 13 goals and four assists.
Scouting the Bobcats…
Quinnipiac (6-3, 0-2) dropped a 14-8 contest to GWLL-foe Denver on Friday evening. The Bobcats were led by Todd Kaiser with three goals.
Garret Kerr (16g, 2a) and Gary Messina (7g, 11a) each lead the Bobcats’ offense with 18 points. In goal, freshman Kevin Benzing currently has 76 saves on the season and holds an 8.01 goals against average.

The Coaches…
• Air Force is coached by Fred Acee, in his 11th season with the Falcons. Acee holds a 350-219-1 career record (41st year) and a 38-100 mark at the Academy.
• Quinnipiac is coached by Eric Fekete, in his seventh season at the helm of the Bobcats’ program. Fekete holds a career record of 32-55 at Quinnipiac.
Series Records…
This weekend marks the fourth meeting all-time between Air Force and Quinnipiac, with the Falcons holding a 2-1 advantage in the series. Air Force has won the last two contests against Quinnipiac, including a 16-9 decision in 2007.

Air Force in the Statistical Rankings…
In the latest national rankings through games of April 6, Air Force ranks 26th in the nation in man-up offense (.323).
Meanwhile, junior Dan Gnazzo ranks tied for second in the GWLL and tied for 14th in the nation in ground balls per game (5.0).
How They Rate…
Quinnipiac ranks 22nd nationally in scoring defense (7.88) and 28th in scoring margin (0.88).
Individually, freshman goalkeeper Kevin Benzing is third in the GWLL and 13th in the nation in goals against average (7.2) and third in the league and 30th in the country in save percentage (.551).
A Familiar Name…
Fans of Air Force lacrosse will see a familiar name on the opposite sidelines this weekend, as Quinnipiac’s starting goalkeeper, Kevin Benzing, is the younger brother of 2005 Academy graduate D.J. Benzing. D.J. Benzing played in every game during his four years at Air Force and was a team captain in 2005.
Saving the Day…
Freshman goalkeeper Woody Johnson recorded a season-high 18 saves against Bellarmine Friday while allowing only eight goals to help the Falcons secure their first GWLL win of the season. The total of 18 saves is the most for a single Air Force goalkeeper since Justin Pavoni tallied 19 saves against Ohio State in April of 2005.
Taking the Face-off…
Senior midfielder Reilly Smith won 13-of-22 face-offs (.590) in the Falcons’ win over Bellarmine, setting a new personal-best mark. As a team, Air Force won a season-high 13-of-23 face-offs (.565) against the Knights. All this came against one of the top face-off specialists in the conference, Bobby Snider.
Winning At Home…
This weekend, Air Force will look to remain undefeated on its own field this season. All three of the Falcons’ wins this year have come at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium. As of April 11, Air Force is currently one of 10 Division I teams in the nation who remain undefeated at home in 2008.
Keeping the Streak Alive…
Junior Griffin Nevitt will look to keep his scoring streak alive this weekend, as the midfielder has scored at least one goal or assist in 33 consecutive games. Nevitt, who has 60 goals and 30 assists in his career, has scored in 35 of 36 games in his first two-plus seasons.
Nevitt’s scoring streak of 33 games is the seventh-longest active streak in the country. Duke’s Matt Danowski leads the way with 53 straight games with at least one goal or assist.

Up Next…
The Falcons travel to New Haven, Conn., next weekend, April 20, for their final road game of the season. Air Force will take on non-conference foe Yale in a 12:00 p.m. (ET) contest.