Air Force Falls to St. John’s in Season Opener
Courtesy of Air Force Athletics
USAFA, Colo. - Despite a career-high six points from junior Zack Carroll (Freehold Township, N.J.), the Air Force lacrosse team dropped its season-opener to St. John's, 10-7, Sunday evening at the Cadet Lacrosse Stadium.
Carroll, who entered the game with one career point, registered two goals and four assists to lead the Falcons' offense, which got off to a slow start. St. John's (2-0) scored the first two goals of the game before Air Force got on the board with the first career goal by senior Jimmy Curran (North Brunswick, N.J.), assisted by Carroll.
The Red Storm dominated the second period, scoring five unanswered goals to take a 7-1 lead. The Falcons finally stopped the St. John's run with a goal from Stephen Vu (Fr., Springfield, Va.) with 1:23 remaining in the half.
Air Force took control of the third period, outscoring the Red Storm 3-0, beginning with Carroll's first career goal, a man-up score assisted by senior captain Ridge Flick (Plano, Texas). Junior midfielder Tristan Newkirk (Albany, N.Y.) tallied an unassisted goal, while Curran registered his second goal of the game with just over a minute remaining in the period.
St. John's regained its three-point lead with the first goal of the final stanza. However, Carroll won the ensuing face-off and passed the ball to sophomore defender Dayton Gilbreath (Bainbridge Island, Washington) in front of the net, who notched his first goal of the year to bring the score to 8-6.
After seven scoreless minutes, the Red Storm tallied back-to-back scores to take a 10-6 lead with just 3:15 left on the clock. The Falcons closed out the game with their second man-up score, as Carroll registered the goal with another assist from Flick.
In addition to scoring six points, Carroll was also solid at the face-off X, winning 9-of-15 face-offs for the Falcons. Air Force was just 2-of-5 on the EMO, but played solid man-down defense, holding the Red Storm scoreless on five man-up opportunities.
The Falcons are back in action next weekend at the annual Pioneer Face-Off Classic, hosted by Denver. Air Force will take on Lehigh on March 6, while facing Penn on March 7. Both games will begin at 11:00 a.m. at Peter Barton Lacrosse Stadium.
