Academy sports recap: Women, men Falcons score first soccer wins

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) --  Women and men’s academy soccer secured their first victories of the season over Providence University and Army, respectively.

Brittney Perkowski’s goal in the 55th minute propelled Air Force to down Providence, 1-0, on Sept. 2. The win brings the academy to 1-2-0 on the season and drops the Friars to 1-1-0.

The game winning goal came off a pass from the right end line by Taryn Nicolaides, which Perkowski headed into the net at the 55:18 mark.

Providence almost sent the game into overtime late in the game, but a clutch save by Falcon goalkeeper Erin Wallace kept the Friars scoreless. With four minutes remaining in regulation, Christie Gent curled a free shot from just outside the box over the wall set up by the Falcons, but Wallace got a piece of the ball and it ricocheted off the crossbar and out of the goal area. Wallace recorded her first-career shutout with two saves on the night.

The Friars outshot the Falcons 10-8, with Danielle Wieneke leading the team with three attempts on goal. Perkowski led the Falcons with three shots, while Katherine Taylor followed with two.

The women followed their opening victory Sept. 4 with a 2-0 win against Central Michigan University.

Goals by Corbin Sanford and Perkowski sent the Air Force women’s soccer team to victory here. The win put the Falcons at 2-2-0 on the season, while the Chippewas fell to 2-2-0.

Sanford scored her first-career goal at the 14:08 mark, taking a corner kick from Rachael Emory and knocking the ball into the middle of the net from seven yards out.

The Falcons then went scoreless for the next 68 minutes, until Perkowski netted her second goal of the season in the 82nd minute to put the game out of reach. Taryn Nicolaides sent a long pass from mid field to Perkowski, who was sprinting down the right flank. She then sent the ball over CMU goalkeeper Anne Decker’s head from 25 yards out on the right corner of the box.

Goalkeeper Jennifer Drew earned her first win of the season with two saves in the shutout. Decker had one save for the Chippewas.

Air Force outshot Central Michigan, 9-5 and committed eight fouls to CMU’s five.

Also recording its first victory of the season was the academy men’s team which also scored a 1-0 victory against Army.

David Schill scored the game’s only goal with 45 seconds remaining to give the Air Force a season-opening 1-0 victory on the first day of the BAE Systems Army Fall Classic Sept. 3 in West Point, N.Y.

Schill, who had two goals and four assists last season, took a feed from Scott Muir at the 18-yard line and fired a shot past the outstretched arms of Army goalkeeper John-Michael Gallogly with only 45 seconds remaining in regulation time.

Gallogly, making his first collegiate start, registered seven saves. Air Force goalie Brian Guyette, also making his first collegiate start, saved six shots that the Black Knights put on net for the shutout.

In volleyball action, the women’s team held off Butler University for a 3-1 win Sept. 2.

Backed by 22 kills from Kristin Hamlett, Air Force team defeated previously undefeated Butler in the nightcap of pool play during the Falcon Invitational here. After dropping the first game 30-22, the Falcons rolled to 30-25, 30-28 and 31-29 win.

With the win, Air Force moves to 2-3 on the season.

Air Force concluded the Falcon Invitational with a 3-1 loss to San Jose State University on Sept. 3 to finish fourth in the home tournament. After dropping the first set 30-21, Air Force rebounded for a 30-26 victory. Unfortunately for the Falcons, the Spartans picked up 30-16 and 30-27 wins to secure the third-place spot.

In water polo action, 19th-ranked Falcons fell 12-3 to No. 6 Pepperdine University on Sept. 3 at the University of California San Diego’s Triton Invitational.

However, the team came back to grab a pair of wins Sept. 4 at UC San Diego’s Triton Invitational at La Jolla, Calif., defeating Pomona-Pitzer, 7-3, before taking a 5-4 decision over UC Santa Cruz. With the victories, the Falcons improve to 2-1 on the season.