In its regular season finale, the Air Force lacrosse team will host 18th-ranked Denver, Saturday, April 26, in GWLL action. The game is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium.
Scouting the Falcons…
Air Force (3-8, 1-3) dropped a 13-5 conference match to seventh-ranked Notre Dame Tuesday afternoon. Long-stick midfielder Dan Gnazzo led the Falcons with two points (1g, 1a) in the game, as five different Air Force players scored goals in the contest.
Junior Griffin Nevitt is the Falcons’ leading scorer on the year with 17 goals and six assists on the season, while senior David Rose is second on the team with 16 goals and five assists.
Scouting the Pioneers…
Denver (9-5, 3-1), currently ranked 18th in both the USILA coaches poll and Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll, is coming off a 20-13 loss to Ohio State. Freshman Jamie Lincoln led the Pioneers with three goals against the Buckeyes.
Lincoln (38g, 4a) leads the Denver offense with 42 points, while Cliff Smith ranks second on the team with 32 points (23g, 9a).
Air Force in the Statistical Rankings…
In the national rankings through games of April 20, Air Force ranks 21st in man-up offense (.326).
Meanwhile, junior Dan Gnazzo ranks second in the GWLL and tied for 12th in the nation in ground balls per game (5.1).
How They Rate…
In the national rankings through games of April 20, Denver ranks ninth in the nation in scoring offense (11.29), 16th in man-down defense (.756), 18th in man-up offense (.342) and 20th in face-off win percentage (.529), fourth in scoring margin (+5.11). The Pioneers lead the GWLL in man-down defense.
Individually, Jamie Lincoln is ranked seventh in the nation in goals per game (2.79), while Ben Wahler ranks second in the nation in ground balls per game (6.86) and 21st in face-off win percentage (.547).
The Coaches…
• Air Force is coached by Fred Acee, in his 11th season with the Falcons. Acee holds a 350-222-1 career record (41st year) and a 38-103 mark at the Academy.
• Denver is coached by Jamie Munro, in his 10th season at the helm of the Pioneers’ program. Munro holds a career record of 82-60 at Denver.
Series Records…
This weekend marks the 66th meeting all-time between Air Force and Denver, with the Falcons holding a 51-14 advantage in the series. However, the Pioneers have won five in a row against the Falcons, including an 11-9 decision last season.

Senior Day…
Saturday’s contest will mark the final home appearance for 10 Air Force seniors. Prior to the start of the game, the Falcons will honor the Class of 2008, which features captains Kevin Crumrine and Lukas Fisher, along with Jonathan Appleby, Clayton Cruickshank, Peter Krasco, Andrew Olsen, Jack Parchman, David Rose, Reilly Smith and Chris Tubesing.
GWLL Tournament…Here We Come?…
The inaugural Great Western Lacrosse League Tournament will be held this year in Birmingham, Mich., May 2-4. The top four teams in the GWLL standings qualify for the conference tournament. Currently, Ohio State, Notre Dame and Denver have clinched spots in the conference championship, with the final spot up for grabs.
This weekend’s contest between Bellarmine and Quinnipiac will have a great impact on the race for fourth place. Should Quinnipiac win, they will secure their position in fourth place, regardless of the outcome of the Air Force-Denver game, based on Quinnipiac’s win over the Falcons this season. However, should Bellarmine win, Air Force still has an opportunity to qualify for the tournament, either by defeating Denver or by virtue of a tiebreaker.
Winning the Face-off…
Air Force has made great strides on face-offs in its last four games, winning over 55 percent of its face-offs. In contrast, the Falcons won just over 35 percent of their face-offs in the first seven games of the season. Senior Reilly Smith has led the way for Air Force, winning 58.7 percent (47-of-80) of his face-offs in the last four games. Even more impressive is the fact that the Falcons’ improvement has come against some of the top face-off teams in the nation. Air Force won 9-of-16 face-offs against Yale, which entered the contest ranked second in the nation in face-off win percentage, while the Falcons also held the advantage in face-offs against Notre Dame, which entered the game leading the country in face-off win percentage.
Smith’s personal-best mark of .609 came in the Quinnipiac game, when he won 14-of-23 face-offs. As a team, Air Force won a season-high 13-of-23 face-offs (.565) versus Bellarmine.
A Better Offense…
The Falcons will look for an offensive boost this weekend, with its final game being played at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium. The scoring differential between home and away/neutral contests is pronounced for Air Force. In five home contests, the Falcons have averaged 9.42 goals per game. Meanwhile, in its six games away from home, Air Force has scored just 5.33 goals per game.
Just One Assist…
In contrast to the past several seasons, when former Falcon Will Meister ranked among the nation’s leaders in assists per game, no Falcon is averaging more than one assist per contest this season. In fact, through 11 games of the season, no Air Force player has scored more than one assist in a game. Even assist-leader Griffin Nevitt has scored each of his six assists in six different contests.
Up Next…
Following this weekend’s action, the Falcons will find out whether they earn a spot at the inaugural GWLL Championship in Birmingham, Mich. Should Air Force qualify, it would play a semi-final game on May 2, while the championship contest will be held on May 4.