Archive for April, 2008

Cal Battles No. 18 Denver for MPSF Tourney’s Top Seed on Senior Day

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Colorado Lacrosse
on April 23, 2008
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BERKELEY - California (9-6, 4-0 MPSF) hosts No. 18 Denver (10-5, 3-0 MPSF) in an important Mountain Pacific Sports Federation game at 1 p.m. on Saturday, April 26, in Memorial Stadium. Cal and Denver have already secured the top two seeds and accompanying first-round byes in the MPSF Championship tournament April 30-May 3 in Berkeley, with the winner of the Cal-Denver game taking the MPSF regular-season title and the tournament’s No. 1 seed. Also, prior to Saturday’s match, Cal will honor its four seniors - midfielders Cristen Andrews and Mary Downs and attackers Brittany Aungier and Danni Zuralow - as part of Senior Day.

If the Pioneers defeat Cal on Saturday, giving Cal a 4-1 final MPSF record, Denver could lose to Saint Mary’s on April 27 in Moraga, Calif., and still claim the MPSF regular-season title and No. 1 seed with a 4-1 conference record since its head-to-head result with Cal would be the tiebreaker.

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Cherry Creek scores impressive lacrosse win at Invesco

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Colorado Lacrosse
on April 23, 2008
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The Cherry Creek boys lacrosse team can rise to the occasion. Several weeks ago the Bruins beat a Loyola-Blakefield team out of Maryland that was ranked No. 1 in the nation in a preseason poll conducted by Inside Lacrosse Magazine, and Friday at Invesco Field the Bruins again displayed their ability to beat the best by dominating Fort Collins 7-4 in a non-league game.

Fort Collins, ranked No. 1 by the Rocky and the defending state champion, led 3-2 at halftime, and the Vipers rugged defense seemed to have its way at times with the Bruins attack. But Cherry Creek’s Michael Beimford, a junior attacker, sparked Cherry Creek to a 5-0 run in the second half to help the Bruins to the upset.

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Air Force Hosts No. 18 Denver in Regular Season Finale

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Colorado Lacrosse
on April 23, 2008
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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.

Air Force Drops GWLL Contest to No. 7 Notre Dame

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Colorado Lacrosse
on April 22, 2008
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USAFA, Colo. - Outscored 7-0 to open the game, the Air Force lacrosse team fell to seventh-ranked Notre Dame, 13-5, Tuesday afternoon at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium. With the loss, the Falcons drop to 3-8 on the season, 1-3 in the GWLL, while the Fighting Irish improve to 10-2 overall, 3-1 in the league.
Notre Dame opened the scoring at the 11:46 mark in the first period, notching four goals within a span of two and a half minutes. Another score by the Irish with just over three minutes remaining in the quarter gave Notre Dame the early 5-0 lead. Air Force’s deficit grew to seven following two more Notre Dame goals in the second period.
The Falcons finally got on the board with 5:27 remaining in the first half when long-stick midfielder Dan Gnazzo (Jr., Eden Prairie, Minn.) caused a Notre Dame turnover and responded with an unassisted goal. A minute and a half later, Colin Lockhart (Jr., Richmond, Va.) took an assist from K.J. Landgraf (Jr., Cordova, Md.) to cut the margin back down to five.
Unfortunately for Air Force, the Irish put together another scoring run to take a 13-2 advantage, tallying two goals to end the second period, outscoring Air Force 2-0 in the third period and notching the first two goals of the fourth quarter. The Falcons stopped the run with a score from Chris Tubesing (Sr., Centreville, Va.), assisted by Gnazzo, while senior David Rose (Allentown, Pa.) scored a man-up goal with 3:09 remaining. It appeared that 13-4 would be the final margin, until junior Griffin Nevitt (Charlotte, N.C.) sent a shot past the Notre Dame goalkeeper just as the horn sounded.
For the fourth-straight game, Air Force held the advantage on face-offs, winning 11-of-21, led by senior Reilly Smith (Scaggsville, Md.) who won all 11 face-offs for the Falcons. However, the Falcons’ man-up offense struggled, scoring on just 1-of-4 opportunities, while the Irish were 3-of-4 on the EMO.
Ten different players scored for the Fighting Irish, including Alex Wharton, Neal Hicks and Ryan Hoff with two goals each. Meanwhile, starting goalkeeper Joey Kemp tallied nine saves with just two goals against in over 50 minutes of action.
Air Force closes out the regular season this Saturday, April 26, when it hosts 18th-ranked Denver in a GWLL contest. Ten seniors will be honored prior to the game, which is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium.
No. 7 Notre Dame 13, Air Force 5
Notre Dame Scoring:
Goals: Alex Wharton 2, Neal Hicks 2, Ryan Hoff 2, Kelly McKenna, Dan Gibson, Grant Krebs, Michael Podgajny, Zach Brenneman, Peter Christman, Billy Maloney. Assists: Peter Christman 2, Zach Brenneman, Alex Wharton, David Earl, Duncan Swezey, Ryan Hoff, Neal Hicks.
Air Force Scoring:
Goals: Dan Gnazzo, Colin Lockhart, Chris Tubesing, David Rose, Griffin Nevitt. Assists: K.J. Landgraf, Dan Gnazzo.

A preview of lacrosse to come

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Colorado Lacrosse
on April 22, 2008
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STEAMBOAT SPRINGS, Colorado — It’s pretty easy to find a lot of similarities in the Battle Mountain and Steamboat Springs boys lacrosse teams.

Both being from mountain towns, the two teams make the best of fruitful spring weather. The two teams reap the benefits of thriving youth lacrosse programs and show potential to compete with larger, more established Front Range programs in years to come.

But maybe most importantly, and judging by Tuesday’s 12-6 Steamboat win, the two teams have a budding rivalry that should make the introduction of the Mountain League next year just that much more fun.

“It ought to be a lot of fun,” said Battle Mountain coach Bob Daino, whose Huskies are celebrating their inaugural year. “We’re brand new and have a long way to go, but these kids love the game and that’s half the battle.”

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GV Lacrosse wants status as school sport

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Colorado Lacrosse
on April 22, 2008
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Lacrosse wants to be the next sport sanctioned by high schools in School District 51.

The Grand Valley Lacrosse Club is making a pitch at Tuesday night’s school board meeting.

The three-year-old club would like to play CHSAA-sponsored games beginning next spring.

The board, which is not expected to make an immediate decision on the matter, has some pros and cons to weigh before the Sept. 1 deadline to petition CHSAA about adding a spring sport.

At the top of the list of questions the board must address is whether adding another boys sport requires adding a girls sport so the district is in compliance with Title IX requirements.

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Fifth Annual Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Showdown Set for Saturday

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Colorado Lacrosse
on April 22, 2008
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Denver, CO – The Rocky Mountain Lacrosse Showdown, presented by the Denver Outlaws, INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium and the Colorado State University Lacrosse Alumni Association, heads into its fifth edition with lots on the line for the April 26th meeting between the Colorado State Rams and Colorado Buffaloes. This Showdown will be the third held at INVESCO Field at Mile High Stadium and will pit two of the premier MCLA programs in the state of Colorado. In addition, this year will mark the first time a women’s collegiate lacrosse game takes place at Mile High as the CSU and CU women square off as well just before the men’s game. There will be more than school pride on the line in both of these games, as each team comes into the Showdown needing a win.

On the men’s side of things, neither the Rams nor the Buffaloes have enjoyed the success they are accustomed to so far in 2008. The Rams are in the midst of a 9-5 season and are ranked #7 in the MCLA while the Buffs are 3-5 and #16 in the country. CU absolutely needs a win in the regular season finale to give them a shot at the MCLA playoffs in May. The winner of this game will secure the #3 seed for the RMLC playoffs in Utah on May 2 and 3.

With four one-goal losses, the Colorado State men have endured their share of heartbreak in 2008. Dropping their opening game of the season to Division III Colorado College, the Rams have found themselves on the wrong end of three overtime contests this year. #19 Utah took the Rams down in a classic 5 overtime struggle earlier in the month and CSU lost in 2 overtimes to the #1 Michigan Wolverines as well. But the Rams also have solid victories over #3 Minnesota-Duluth, #10 Oregon and #12 Boston College on their resume, so things haven’t been all down this year.

The Colorado Buffaloes are in danger of missing the MCLA playoffs for the first time in nearly a decade. With a sparse schedule, the Buffs still have a chance to get over .500 and make the playoffs if they were to win the remainder of their games, which would include the Showdown and two victories in the RMLC playoffs. Losses to Oregon, Utah and Brigham Young have not helped the Buffs, but CU has defeated #19 Cal Poly and Arizona on the season, indicating that despite the light schedule load, there is still plenty of talent in Boulder. Colorado is always a dangerous and well-coached team and the Showdown has been circled on their calendar for months.

CSU is led in points by sophomore Kevin Wolff, who has 42 points on 26 goals and 16 assists so far this season. Freshman Paul Larson has 24 goals and 4 assists while senior Ryan MacDonald adds his 14 goals and 14 assists to the mix as well. The Rams are also led by two senior goaltenders as Garrett Fitzgerald and Tyson Ehinger have shared duties in the nets so far this season.

Colorado’s leading point-getter is freshman James Blackburn. Blackburn’s 26 points are far and away tops on a team that has only one other double digit point scorer in sophomore Ben Johns. While the scoring has been down this year, CU still has a stingy defense led by junior goaltender Kevin Moriarty. Moriarty is a team leader for the Buffaloes and would like nothing more than to knock off the rival Rams for the first time in his career.

The Colorado State women have been rolling right along this season, compiling an impressive 16-1 record and a #2 national ranking. Their only loss of the season was at the hands of #1 UC-Santa Barbara in their first game of the season and the Rams have already defeated the Buffaloes 11-6 in Fort Collins last month. With the RMWLL championships taking place a week before the Showdown, CSU and CU could very well meet the week before the event and will know all about each other by the time they face off at INVESCO. Colorado’s women have plenty to be proud of as well in 2008. With an 11-2 record that features losses to only the #1 and #2 teams in the country, the Buffs are having a very nice season and find themselves ranked #5.

The Showdown takes place on April 26th and kicks off with the CSU and CU women at 5:00 pm. The men’s game is slotted for 7:00 pm, or 30 minutes after the women’s game finishes up. A great crowd is expected and both games will be a showcase for lacrosse. Tickets are available at TicketMaster or at the box office. Students and families for both teams will be able to purchase tickets directly from their schools. Please visit the Showdown website at www.lacrosseshowdown.com.

Air Force Hosts No. 7 Notre Dame in GWLL Contest

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Colorado Lacrosse
on April 21, 2008
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In the first of two conference home games to wrap up the regular season, the Air Force lacrosse team hosts seventh-ranked Notre Dame Tuesday, April 22. The game is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium.
Scouting the Falcons…
Air Force (3-7, 1-2) dropped a 10-2 contest to non-conference foe Yale on Sunday. Scoring the lone goals for Air Force against the Bulldogs were sophomore Ridge Flick and junior Colin Lockhart, while senior Reilly Smith won 9-of-15 face-offs for the Falcons.
Junior Griffin Nevitt is the Falcons’ leading scorer on the year with 16 goals and six assists on the season, while senior David Rose is second on the team with 15 goals and five assists.
Scouting the Fighting Irish…
Notre Dame (9-2, 2-1), currently ranked seventh in the USILA coaches poll and 12th in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse media poll, is coming off a 14-7 victory over Lehigh. Junior Ryan Hoff notched four goals to lead the Irish against the Mountain Hawks.
Alex Wharton (14g, 22a) leads the Notre Dame offense with 36 points, while Hoff ranks second on the team with 33 points (30g, 3a). Meanwhile, three-time all-conference goalkeeper Joey Kemp holds a 6.62 GAA and averages 10.5 saves per contest.
The Coaches…
• Air Force is coached by Fred Acee, in his 11th season with the Falcons. Acee holds a 350-221-1 career record (41st year) and a 38-102 mark at the Academy.
• Notre Dame is coached by Kevin Corrigan, in his 20th season leading the Fighting Irish. Corrigan holds a career record of 186-109 (22nd year) and a 176-94 mark at Notre Dame.
Series Records…
This weekend marks the 21st meeting all-time between Air Force and Notre Dame, with the Irish holding an 18-2 advantage. The Falcons won the last contest played at the Academy, upsetting ninth-ranked Notre Dame, 9-8, in 2006.

Air Force in the Statistical Rankings…
In the national rankings through games of April 13, Air Force ranks third in the GWLL and 17th in the nation in man-up offense (.359).
Meanwhile, junior Dan Gnazzo ranks second in the GWLL and 12th in the nation in ground balls per game (5.22).
How They Rate…
In the national rankings through games of April 13, Notre Dame ranks first in the nation in face-off win percentage (.640), fourth in scoring margin (+5.11), sixth in scoring offense (12.22), eighth in scoring defense (7.11) and 15th in man-up offense .372). The Fighting Irish lead the GWLL in face-off win percentage and scoring defense, and rank second in the other three categories.
Individually, Ryan Hoff and Alex Wharton are ranked 11th nationally in goals per game (2.44) and assists per game (1.89), respectively. Goalkeeper Joey Kemp is second in the country in save percentage (.633) and seventh in goals against average (6.75), while Taylor Clagett ranks fourth in the country in face-off win percentage (.632).
They’re Scoring At Home…
The Falcons will look for an offensive boost this week, with its final two games being played at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium. The scoring differential between home and away/neutral contests is pronounced for Air Force. In four home contests, the Falcons have averaged 10.5 goals per game. Meanwhile, in its six games away from home, Air Force has scored just 5.33 goals per game.
On the Penalty Kill…
Air Force has been impressive on the penalty kill in its past two contests, holding both Quinnipiac and Yale scoreless on the EMO. The Falcons’ man-down defense percentage, which sat at .641 prior to those two games, has improved to .689.
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 10 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.
Taking the Face-off…
In its last three games, Air Force has won over 56 percent of its face-offs, while winning just over 35 percent of its face-offs in its first seven contests. Senior Reilly Smith has led the way for the Falcons, winning 60 percent (36-of-60) of his face-offs in the last three games, including 9-of-15 versus Yale, which entered the contest ranked second in the nation in face-off win percentage.
Smith won 13-of-22 face-offs (.590) in the Falcons’ win over Bellarmine, setting a new personal-best mark, and bested that in the Quinnipiac game, winning 14-of-23 face-offs (.609). As a team, Air Force won a season-high 13-of-23 face-offs (.565) versus Bellarmine, going up against one of the top face-off specialists in the conference, Bobby Snider.
Up Next…
The Falcons wrap up the regular season Saturday, April 26, as they host 18th-ranked Denver in a GWLL contest. Prior to the game, which is slated to begin at 1:00 p.m. at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium, the Falcons will honor the 10 members of the 2008 senior class.

Denver is holding a Regional Tryout for the Adidas National High School Lacrosse Classic.

Published
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Colorado Lacrosse
on April 21, 2008
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A team from the Colorado Region will compete for a National Championship on July 18-20th against 19 other Regional teams from around the U.S. Tryouts will be held at Valor Christian HS, directions listed below. Colorado Regional tryouts will be on May 18th, at 1pm-4pm. Please read the information below and click on the website www.adidasnationallacrosseclassic.com to learn more about the Adidas National High School Lacrosse Classic. Also, attached is a informational flyer on the event here!.

To register click here: http://www.adidasnationallacrosseclassic.com/benefits___options

David Neely, former Varsity Head Coach at Heritage HS, and current Head Coach at Valor Christian HS is the Head Coach of the Adidas Colorado Regional team. Assisting him is Tom Knight, Head Coach at Fairview HS.

Coaches, please forward this information to your programs and players emails. We will have a 25 member team representing the Colorado Region, and I strongly believe that Colorado has the talent to not only compete in this event, but to win it all! Please help support this opportunity for players to showcase their skills and talents in front of the top players, college coaches, and lacrosse fans. Coaches if you are interested in helping select for the CO Regional team, please contact David Neely.

I hope everyone is having success in their programs and I wish everyone the best as we move toward the final stretch of the season and into the State Playoffs. Good luck to all.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact David Neely, Cell 720-233-2374, or neely.dave@gmail.com

Air Force Drops Non-Conference Road Contest to Yale

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on April 20, 2008
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New Haven, Conn. - Giving up a five-goal rally in the third period, the Air Force lacrosse team dropped a 10-2 decision to Yale Sunday afternoon at Reese Stadium. The Falcons fall to 3-7 on the season, while the Bulldogs move to 4-8 on the year.

The first half was a defensive battle, with the only score coming from Yale’s Jonathan Koenig with 6:10 to play in the second period. However, the tide turned in the third period, as Yale’s offense erupted with five unanswered goals, including two from leading scorer Michael Karwoski, to take a 6-0 lead after three quarters.

Yale’s advantage grew to 7-0 in the final period before Ridge Flick (So., Plano, Texas) put Air Force on the board at the 9:19 mark with an assist from senior David Rose (Allentown, Pa.). Less than 40 seconds later, Colin Lockhart (Jr., Richmond, Va.) tallied the second goal of the game for the Falcons, bringing them within five goals. However, Air Force could not find the back of the net again, and the Bulldogs closed out the game with three more tallies.

The story of the game was Yale’s goaltending, led by senior George Carafides. While the Falcons held a 21-19 advantage on shots on goal, Carafides tallied 19 saves in the contest, including nine in the final period alone.

Air Force returns to action Tuesday, April 22, when it hosts Notre Dame in a GWLL contest. The game is slated to begin at 2:00 p.m. at Cadet Lacrosse Stadium.

Yale 10, Air Force 2
Air Force Scoring:
Goals: Ridge Flick, Colin Lockhart. Assists: David Rose.

Yale Scoring:
Goals: Michael Karwoski 3, Jonathan Koenig 2, Tyler Casertano 2, Kyle Washabaugh, Colin Ford, Nick Tsouris. Assists: Michael Karwoski, Tyler Casertano, Brendan Gibson, Jerome Arnold, Chad Costello, Jack Flaherty.