April 12, 2001

Complete Air Force Game Notes in PDF Format
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Villanova  (4-5)
versus
Air Force (3-8)

Saturday, April 14, 2001 Noon - MST

Scouting Air Force: The Falcons enter today's game with Villanova with a 3-8 overall record and are set to play their first home game of 2001. In their last outing they were dominated by #6 Notre Dame 13-2. They feature a solid attack led by senior John Agnew. Agnew leds the Falcons in goals (13), assists (11), and points (24). Agnew is the quarterback of their offense and loves to pass or shoot. When passing his favorite target is Nate Koss a 6-0 and 180 pound junior who has tallied nine goals on the season. Sophomore Kyle Warf also has been prospering at attack for the Falcons with 12 goals and five assists. The attack is joined by two athletic midfield lines that have combined to tally 27 of their 72 goals. Leading the way are Matt Dudderar, 11 goals and three assists, and Eric Lederer, nine goals and one assist. Dudderar leds the team in shots with 53 and can be a prolific goal scorer. On defense the Falcons are strong as well. Michael Garrott is their best defensemen and leads the team in groundballs with 45. In goal they turn to Bill Arnold and Jeff Moss. Arnold has started seven of the ten games to date. He touts a .560 save percentage and 11.4 goals against average.

Weather Plays Havoc: On Wednesday, April 11, the Villanova Wildcat men's lacrosse team attempted to depart from Philadelphia International Airport en route to Denver, Colorado. Unfortunately, unexpected heavy snow blanketed the Denver area canceling Villanova's flight. Due to the inclement weather and the holiday weekend, Villanova was unable to get another flight out to Colorado in time for the game. The Wildcats had already boarded their plane and were prepared for take-off when the plane's captain announced that the team's connecting flight from Milwaukee to Denver had been cancelled. Rather than stranding the team and other passengers in Milwaukee the pilot decided to return to the terminal. Initially the flight had been scheduled for a direct flight from Philadelphia to Denver, but reports of snow and delays prompted United Airlines to reschedule the flight to stop in Milwaukee for refueling.

enver Game Rescheduled: After discussions all day Wednesday and more discussions on Thursday, Villanova head coach Randy Marks and Denver head coach Jaime Munro, rescheduled the Villanova-Denver game to be played on May 4th at 7:30 p.m. Instead of the game taking place at Denver, the game has been moved to Villanova Stadium, since Denver will be in the area to play Fairfield on May 5th.

National Recognition: In the most recent statistical rankings released by the NCAA Villanova is again well represented. The Wildcats Brian Marks and Matt Wilk are still holding strong in their respective categories as are the Wildcats as a team. Brian Marks currently ranks 16th in the nation in scoring with 4.00 points per game. Marks has tallied 18 goals and 18 assists for 36 points in 2001. Marks 18 assists also have him ranked nationally in that category. The sophomore currently stands tied for 12th in the country with a 2.00 assist per game average. Matt Wilk continues to perform well for Villanova and his efforts are reflected in his 8.13 goals against average that has him ranked 18th nationally. As a team Villanova's defense is turning heads. The `Cats are currently 18th in scoring defense with a mark of 8.33 goals against per game and 8th in man-down defense, stopping their opponents .775 percent of the time.

Second Quarter Success: In Villanova's most recent game against Fairfield the Wildcats dominated the Stags in the second quarter. The domination was reflected on the scoreboard as Villanova outscored them 2-0. For the season, Villanova's best quarter has far and away been the second quarter. The `Cats have outscored their opponents 21 to 12 in the second. In the third and fourth quarters Villanova holds a slight edge in scoring with a 24-21 lead in the third and 22-20 advantage in the fourth. The first quarter has been their worst, as they have been outscored 22-17. Road Troubles: In Villanova's five road games this season they have departed from the field of play with five losses. The Wildcats have been outscored on the road by the score of 55-36, including a 17-12 deficit in the fourth quarter. Things do not get any easier for Villanova as Air Force will be playing their first home game in 2001 against the Wildcats.

The Little Things: Villanova has been doing the little things well all season as evidenced by their ability to tally more shots, get more groundballs, score more extra man goals, and clear better then their opponents. The `Cats currently are outshooting their opponents by 8.6 shots per game and getting 5 more groundballs per game. Villanova also has done well of not committing many penalties and when they do their defense has prospered. The Wildcats have had only 42 penalties called on them, while their foes have had 58 called. The translation is an eight goal difference. Villanova has outscored their opponents 17-9 on the extra man. The Wildcats have also done an excellent job of clearing and riding. The `Cats clear the ball 78 percent of the time compared to their opponents who clear only 71 percent of the time. Villanova has an advantage of 14 in successful rides, 72 to their opponents 58. The only thing Villanova is not doing as well as their opponents is connecting on their shots. Villanova has connected on 24.2 percent of their shots in 2001, while they opponents are connecting on 27.4 percent of their shots.

Always Tough:Villanova's schedule in 2001 has been as tough as it has in recent years with the Wildcats battling five teams ranked or also receiving votes. This season Villanova will play #2 Johns Hopkins, #7 Loyola, #17 Penn State, ARV Fairfield, and ARV Pennsylvania. The `Cats are 0-3 on the year with losses to Hopkins, Penn State, and Fairfield by a margin of 4.3 goals per game.