Air Force Beats Quinnipiac in GWLL Opener
from press release
HAMDEN, Conn. – Jack Oppenheimer scored
twice and added an assist and Kevin Benzing (Severna Park, Md.)
made 14 saves, but the Quinnipiac University men’s lacrosse
team was defeated by Air Force, 14-8, Saturday afternoon in the
Bobcats’ home and Great Western Lacrosse League opener. With
the loss, the Bobcats fall to 1-4 (0-1 GWLL), while the Falcons
improve to 3-3 (1-0 GWLL).
Gary Messina (West Islip, N.Y.), Kevin Kelly (Redding, Conn.),
Garett Kerr (Inglewood, Ontario), Alex DeAlmeida (Pt. Pleasant,
N.J.), Mike Gast (Grand Rapids, Mich.) and Mitch Cooper (Rockville
Centre, N.Y.) each added a goal for the Bobcats. Kelly and Messina
contributed two assists apiece, while Kerr had one.
K.J. Landgraf paced the Falcons with four goals, while Ridge Flick
had three and Bryan Gilbreath added two. Flick also assisted on two
goals, while Landgraf added a helper to his line.
Seeing his first action in net this season, Dan Gnazzo earned the
win for the Falcons, stopping seven shots and allowing seven goals.
Benzing stopped 14 shots and allowed 14 goals in taking the
loss.
Neither team could create more than a one-goal lead in the first
half. After Griffin Nevitt got things started for the Falcons just
over two minutes into the first quarter, Kerr answered at the 11:22
mark. Kelly assisted DeAlmeida less than a minute later as the
Bobcats took their first lead of the day, 2-1.
Jeff Pecora tied the game for the Falcons at the 4:49 mark of the
first quarter, while Landgraf found the back of the net off a feed
from Flick 46 seconds later as Air Force retook the lead, 3-2.
Cooper knotted the score once again at the 2:38 mark and Messina
found Kelly for a goal with 17 second left in the first as the
Bobcats took their final lead of the game, 4-3.
Flick scored twice at the 13:14 and 8:20 marks of the second
quarter to give Air Force a 5-4 lead. Oppenheimer then tied the
game off a Messina assist with just less than two minutes to play
in the half. The scored remained tied at five heading into
halftime.
But the Falcons opened the second half with six unanswered goals
to take an 11-5 lead. The lead only grew to seven, 14-7, despite
consecutive fourth-quarter goals from Gast and Messina. Oppenheimer
closed the scoring with 51 seconds left off a Kerr assist.
The Bobcats return to action Wednesday night, when they travel to
Providence. The opening face-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at Friar
Field Hockey & Lacrosse Complex.
