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Lacrosse: Air Force falls to UMBC 13-7

by Melissa McKeown

In the first game of the Pioneer Face-off Classic here, the Air Force lacrosse team fell to 20th-ranked University of Maryland at Baltimore County 13-7.

With the loss, the Falcons fall to 1-1 on the season, while UMBC improves to 2-0 on the year.

The Retrievers rolled out to a 4-0 lead before senior captain Will Meister scored off an assist by Conrad Lochocki with 2:55 remaining in the opening period. However, UMBC came right back with another goal to take a 5-1 advatange into the second period.

Meister and Lochocki teamed up again on an extra-man opportunity with 9:07 left in the second period to bring the Falcons back within three points, but the Retrievers scored two more goals to go up 7-2. Then, with just under two minutes left in the half, senior Justin Kuchta notched his first goal of the game on an assist from sophomore Griffin Nevitt, as the Falcons went into the locker room trailing 7-3.

UMBC scored four unanswered goals to open the third period, taking an 11-3 lead, before the Falcons got back on the board with an unassisted goal by Nevitt. However, the Retrievers went back up by eight with another goal before the end of the period.

The Falcons were first to score in the final period, as Nevitt rebounded his own saved shot for his second goal of the game. UMBC was next to find its way into the net, with a score at the 7:45 mark. Air Force closed out the game with two scores in the final two minutes, but the team could not overcome its early deficit, falling 13-7.

Although UMBC outshot Air Force 17-3 in the opening period, the teams ended even with 38 shots each. The Falcons also had five man-up opportunities, but capitalized on just one, while UMBC was 1-of-1 on the power play.

Nevitt had a team-high four points, finishing with two goals and two assists, while Lochocki added a goal and an assist and Meister and Kuchta finished with two goals each. Drew Westervelt led UMBC with three goals and four assists, while Cayle Ratcliffe also finished with three goals.

The Falcons are back in action March 4 when they wrap up the Pioneer Face-Off Classic with a contest versus Villanova at the Barton Lacrosse Stadium.

Source: U.S. Air Force

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