Lacrosse: Falcons fall to 11th-ranked Notre Dame

  • Published
  • By Melissa McKeown
  • U.S. Air Force Academy Public Affairs
SOUTH BEND, Ind. (AFNEWS) --  With limited scoring opportunities, the Air Force lacrosse team dropped a 16-4 contest to No. 11 Notre Dame Friday at Moose Krause Stadium here. The Falcons drop to 2-6 on the season, 1-1 in the Great Western Lacrosse League, while the Irish improve to 7-3, 2-0 in the league.

The Irish led 1-0 before an unassisted score by senior Justin Kuchta tied it up with 9:02 left in the opening quarter. However, Notre Dame came back with three straight scores to close out the first period, including a goal with just three seconds on the clock, to take a 4-1 lead into the second quarter.

Neither team was able to get on the scoreboard in the second period, despite several opportunities for both teams. Notre Dame controlled the pace for most of the quarter, outshooting Air Force 13-5, but goalkeeper sophomore Dan Gnazzo was outstanding between the pipes for the Falcons, recording nine saves in the period.

Notre Dame exploded in the third period, scoring four unanswered goals before allowing Air Force to get back on the board with a goal from sophomore Griffin Nevitt. The Irish finished the third quarter by outscoring the Falcons 8-2 to grab a 12-3 advantage heading into the final period. Notre Dame then added three more scores in the fourth quarter to run away with the 16-4 victory.

The Irish outshot the Falcons 50-23 for the game and dominated on face-offs, winning 18-of-23. Notre Dame also capitalized on their extra-man opportunities, scoring on 3-of-5 man-up chances, while Air Force was 1-of-3.

Kuchta was the Falcons' leading scorer with one goal and two assists, senior Conrad Lochocki added one goal and one assist. Scoring the other goals for Air Force were Nevitt and senior Will Meister. Meanwhile, Gnazzo finished the game with 13 saves and 10 goals against.

For the Fighting Irish, Michael Podgagny, Alex Wharton and Brian Hubschmann scored three goals each.

The Falcons are back in action April 15, when they face league opponent Bellarmine.

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