Air Force Wins Third Straight
from press release
USAFA, Colo. - In its final home game of the
season, the Air Force lacrosse team picked up a 13-6 non-conference
victory over Detroit Sunday afternoon at the Cadet Lacrosse
Stadium. The win marked the third-straight victory for the Falcons,
who improve to 6-6 on the year. Meanwhile, the Titans, in their
first year of varsity competition, finished their inaugural season
with an 0-11 mark.
Leading the Falcons on Senior Day was team captain
Griffin Nevitt (Sr., Charlotte, N.C.), who tallied a
season-high five points (three goals, two assists), while sophomore
Vinny Sandtorv (Centereach, N.Y.) added two goals and two
assists.
The Titans were first to get on the board with a score from Matt
Gregson just one minute into the opening period, before Nevitt gave
Air Force its first score of the day with an assist from Sandtorv
at the 8:26 mark. The Falcons added another quick goal off the
ensuing face-off, as senior long-stick midfielder Dan Gnazzo (Eden
Prairie, Minn.) fed Adam Paranka (Fr., Denver, Colo.) to put Air
Force up 2-1.
The Falcons scored three more goals in the first period ,
while adding two unanswered scores in the second quarter, including
a goal from Gnazzo on an assist from freshman defender Dayton
Gilbreath (Bainbridge Island, Wash.). Holding Detroit to just
two shots total in the first half, Air Force went into the break
with a 7-1 advantage.
Detroit came out of the intermission with another quick score, just
over a minute into the third period, while senior Eric Evans
(Ellicott City, Md.) increased the Falcons' lead back to seven
goals with a score at the 11:04 mark. Those would prove to be the
only two goals of the period, as Air Force took an 8-2 lead into
the final stanza.
In the fourth quarter, the two teams combined for nine goals,
starting with man-up score from Nevitt, on an assist from junior
Ridge Flick (Plano, Texas). The Titans countered with their
first man-up tally of the afternoon with 11:19 on the clock, while
Flick scored his first goal of the game, assisted by Nevitt, 46
seconds later. Detroit followed with a pair of back-to-back goals
in less than a minute to get back within five, but senior K.J.
Landgraf (Cordova, Md.) scored his only goal of the day at the 8:12
mark to put Air Force back on the board.
The Titans were able to score once more with 6:20 on the clock, but
Air Force added another score right off the face-off, this time
with sophomore defender Bryan Gilbreath (Bainbridge Island, Wash.)
getting the assist from senior long-stick midfielder Jeff Pecora
(Dover, Del.). With the Falcons emptying their bench in the final
minutes, Air Force was able to tack on another score, an unassisted
goal from senior Brian Massa (Jamesville, N.Y.), his first of
the season.
Air Force outshot Detroit 54-15 for the game, including 32-3 in the
first half. The Falcons also won 17-of-23 face-offs, including
4-of-6 by senior Sean Millner (Huntington, N.Y.). For the
second-straight game, the penalty kill was a huge strength for the
Falcons, who limited the Titans to scoring on one of six man-up
attempts.
In addition to Nevitt and Sandtorv, other Falcons scoring multiple
points on Sunday were Paranka (two goals), Evans (one goal, one
assist), Flick (one goal, one assist) and Gnazzo (one goal,
one assist). Meanwhile, Vince Wigdahl was the leading scorer for
the Titans with two goals and one assist, while Detroit goalkeeper
Vince Diana tallied 20 saves.
The Falcons wrap up the regular season next weekend, April 25, when
they visit in-state rival Denver in a conference match-up. The game
is slated to begin at 7:30 p.m. at Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
Air Force 13, Detroit 6
Detroit 1 0 1 4 6
Air Force 5 2 1 5 13
UDM Scoring: Goals: Matt Gregson 2, Vince Wigdahl 2, Pat
O'Shea, John Nowicki. Assists: Kevin Demorest, Vince Wigdahl.
AF Scoring: Goals: Griffin Nevitt 3, Adam Paranka 2, Vinny Sandtorv
2, Dan Gnazzo, Eric Evans, Ridge Flick, K.J. Landgraf, Bryan
Gilbreath, Brian Massa. Assists: Vinny Sandtorv 2, Griffin
Nevitt 2, Dan Gnazzo, Eric Evans, Dayton Gilbreath, Ridge Flick,
Jeff Pecora.
