Academy releases 2005 lacrosse schedule

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U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) --  A trip to Virginia Military Institute, an appearance in the University of Denver’s Pioneer Face-Off Classic and five games against opponents nationally ranked at the end of the 2004 regular season highlight the 2005 Air Force Academy lacrosse schedule.

The Air Force Academy Falcons get the season under way with a trip to Lexington, Va., to face VMI in a military academy showdown Feb. 27. They then return to Colorado March 5 and 6 for the Pioneer Face-Off Classic where they meet East Coast opponents Towson University, ranked 11th in 2004, and Lafayette College.

Air Force’s home opener is slated for March 10, when the Falcons hit the turf against the University of Pennsylvania Quakers, who finished last season with a national ranking of 13 and reached the NCAA tournament. Following that matchup, Air Force takes to the road for a five-game stretch beginning with Great Western Lacrosse League opponent Fairfield University on March 23. Next the Falcons face St. John’s University on March 26 and Army on April 2 before meeting a pair of nationally ranked foes on the road.

The Falcons take on conference opponent University of Notre Dame, a 2004 NCAA participant, in South Bend, Ind., on April 10 and then visit the University of North Carolina, which was ranked seventh at the conclusion of the 2004 season and earned an NCAA bid, in a midweek matchup on April 13.

Air Force finds its next two games at home, playing against conference opponent Butler University on April 22, before meeting top-10 ranked Ohio State University, another NCAA participant, in the home finale April 24. The Falcons wrap up the season at the University of Denver on April 30.

“Our schedule this season is as competitive as it always is,” said Fred Acee, coach. “We’re excited to have VMI to start the season, and face off against a fellow military academy. We’ve got opportunities to play against some of the top teams in the nation, including a North Carolina team that is always one of the best in the country. We also close our home season with Ohio State, one of the top teams not only in our conference, but in the nation.”