GAME TIME
Air Force returns to Falcon Stadium to host Robert Morris in non-conference action, Saturday, March 13 at 11 a.m. MT. The last time the teams met was March of 2016 where Air Force won, 11-10, at RMU.
THE SERIES
The Falcons and Colonials will be meeting for the fifth time in program history; the series tally is equal at two apiece.
-Air Force is unbeaten against RMU when playing at USAFA, 1-0
-The Falcons have won the last two meetings, one on the road and one at home
-RMU won the first two meetings (2012, 2012)
-The last two games have been decided by a one-goal differential (04/18/15, H, W, 10-9; 03/05/16, A, W, 11-10)
LAST TIME THEY PLAYED
Danny Brown’s second career hat trick included the game-winning goal as Air Force defeated Robert Morris, 11-10, Saturday (March 5, 2016) in Pittsburgh, Pa.
Air Force outshot Robert Morris, 33-29, in the game. AF had a 12-2 shot advantage in the first quarter while RMU had a 14-3 advantage in the fourth. Air Force was 0-for-2 in man-up situations, while RMU was 2-for-3. The Falcons won 21 of the 27 faceoffs in the game. Goalie Doug Gouchoe made six saves.
UP NEXT
The Falcons travel to Chapel Hill to take on the NCAA’s top team, North Carolina, on Saturday, March 20. Action is slated for noon ET at Dorrance Field. The Tar Heels are currently undefeated (6-0), knocking off one mutual opponent in Denver (24-13, Feb. 7) and three SOCON opponents in four meetings.
THE HARD WAY
Four of Air Force’s first six opponents are nationally ranked in the top-10. The Falcons opened the season at No. 10 Denver then followed up against Utah, who was receiving votes in both polls. Air Force travelled to Durham for the second-ranked Duke team and followed up against 2019 NCAA champions in the eighth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers. The Falcons will host Robert Morris at home before travelling to Chapel Hill to take on current No. 1-ranked North Carolina, March 20.
DODD RETURNS TO THE RANKS
One Air Force’s most prolific goal scorers and assisters Brandon Dodd, who missed the first three games of the season, returned to action in Air Force’s meeting with No. 8/9 Virignia. Dodd registered a goal in the loss.
ALWAYS IN THE MIX
Three Falcons have tallied points in every game in which they appeared. Ethan Grandolfo, who has started in all four games, has a point in every appearance, and prior to the game against UVA, had two goals in every game.
Matthew O’Rourk, who missed the first game, has a goal in every appearance, highlighted by a hat trick against Duke. Freshman Aidan Tolen, who missed the first game, has a point in every appearance this season, also scoring a hat trick against Duke.
LAST TIME OUT
The eighth-ranked Virginia Cavaliers outscored Air Force, 20-4, Saturday afternoon (Mar. 6) at Klockner Stadium.
Air Force put up a goal per quarter with Brandon Dodd’s leading off via Dylan Frankhouser’s assist in at the 5:11 mark. The game marked Dodd’s 2021 debut and return to action. The Falcons second goal was scored by Matthew O’Rourk in an unassisted attack. O’Rourk has scored a goal in every game played this season.
Ethan Grandolfo scored Air Force’s third goal via Aidan Tolen’s assist. Grandolfo and Tolen have tallied a point in every game this season. Tommy Hellman wrapped up the action at Klockner with a man-up goal via Quincy Peene’s assist.
UVA was led by Charlie Bertrand and Peter Garno who scored four and three goals, respectively. Connor Shellenberger and Matt More dished four assists apiece.
The Cavaliers put up 43 shots on the day with 36 of them taken on goal. Grandolfo led Air Force with nine shots, four on goal. The Falcons combined for 28 shots, 15 on the cage.
Virginia turned the ball over 29 times to Air Force’s 26; however, the Cavaliers caused 17 of Air Force’s said turnovers while the Falcons caused seven. Air Force’s Collin O’Brien led the squad with two caused turnovers.
Senior goalie Braden Host clocked career-low 12-minutes in cage, allowing six goals with no saves. Jason Rose took the task in Host’s leave, making a career-best seven saves while allowing 14 goals in 48-minutes of action.
Frankhouser took the majority of attempts at the center X, winning 5-of-18 on the day (.278).
