GAME 10
Air Force (3-4-2) vs. California Baptist (4-3-1, 0-0)
6 pm MT, Friday, October 7
Cadet Soccer Stadium, USAFA
GAME 11
Air Force vs. Utah Valley
1 pm MT, Sunday, October 9
Cadet Soccer Stadium, USAFA
HOME SWEET HOME
Air Force opens Cadet Soccer Stadium this weekend for a pair of Western Athletic Conference matches with California Baptist (Oct. 7), and Utah Valley (Oct. 9). The match with CBU (4-3-1, 0-0) serves as the Lancers conference opener—kickoff is at 6 pm Utah Valley (2-3-1, 0-0) will take on Grand Canyon (3-5- 2, 0-1-1), Friday night in Phoenix. The Falcons and Wolverines meet on Sunday at 1 pm
THE SERIES AGAINST CBU
Air Force and Cal Baptist will meet for the fifth time with the Falcons and Lancers tied in the four-match series, 2-2. The Falcons have outscored the Lancers, 8-5, in the four matches combined. In their last meeting, the Lancers edged the Falcons in overtime, one-nil.
THE SERIES AGAINST UVU
Air Force will be taking on Utah Valley for the ninth time in program history in what has become one of the Falcons’ most frustrating series as AF has yet to beat the Wolverines. UVU is 6-0-2 against Air Force and has a 3-0-1 mark against the Falcons when playing at USAFA. UVU won last season’s meeting, 3-0, in Orem.
LAST WEEKEND
The Falcons brought the Western Athletic Conference opening weekend to a successful end with a three-nil win over Utah Tech, Sunday afternoon, and a 2-1 win at UNLV on Friday. The Falcons sit atop the WAC as the only team to sweep conference play in the opening weekend. Five Falcons accounted for five goals in the last two games.
DEFEND THE TURF
The Falcons vehemently defended their home turf, going 40-9-2 (.784) while playing at home in the last five seasons. In 2018, the Falcons were perfect at home (10-0) for the first time in program history. In 2017, Air Force won a program-best 11 home matches, going 11-1 on the home pitch for the campaign.
UP NEXT
Air Force hits the road for a pair of WAC matches against UTRGV and Houston Christian, October 21 and 23, respectively.
SEASON HIGHLIGHTS
– As part of its ascendance to the top of the conference standings following the opening weekend of league matches, Air Force has been the hottest team overall in the WAC with wins in its last three starts and results in four of its last five outings overall. The Falcons tied no. 4 Washington 1-1 on Sept. 11 and earned one-goal victories against San Francisco (1-0, Sept. 25) and UNLV (2-1 on Sept. 30) before racing past Utah Tech 3-0 on Oct. 2.
– Falcon keeper John Byszewski had a career night with nine saves against an aggressive no. 25 Missouri State offense. The draw marked Byszewki’s first collegiate shutout and the Bears’ first scoreless game of the 2022 campaign. Byszewski now has three shutouts this season.
–Thaddeus Dewing is AF’s key striker, notching six goals so far this season. Dewing has 14 career goals in 41 career appearances for the most goals on the team.
–London Aghedo and Tyler Johnson, AF’s key defenders, missed the match at Central Arkansas where the Falcons dropped a 3-1 contest. They were also sidelined in the match at No. 3 Washington where the Falcons tied the Huskies at one
CLOCKING TIME
Linchpin defender and team captain London Aghedo leads all Falcons in career minutes played with 4,769:52. Aghedo has started in all 55 career appearances for the most games started on the team. Falcon forward and leading goal scorer Thaddeus Dewing played 90 minutes in five matches this season. Senior midfielder Luke Hill has 60 career appearances, marking the most career appearances on the team.
AROUND THE WAC
AIR FORCE TAKES THE CONFERENCE LEAD AFTER ONE WEEK OF LEAGUE PLAY
Air Force picked up wins in its first two conference starts to kick off WAC play, downing UNLV 2-1 on Sept. 30 and Utah Tech 3-0 on Oct. 2. San José State and Houston Christian were both 1-0-1 with four points, while Utah Tech and Seattle U each earned a win to register three points in the first conference week of 2022.
FARKARLUN STILL IN THE TOP 10 NATIONALLY IN SCORING
WAC leading scorer Bryant Farkarlun from Houston Christian checked in seventh nationally in total points in the latest NCAA Division I statistics report from Oct. 4. Farkarlun’s 19 points trailed the 22 points of Lipscomb’s Jelldrik Dallmann. Farkarlun scored his conference-high seventh goal of the season in a 2-0 win for Houston Christian on the road at Seattle U on Oct. 2.
THREE WAC TEAMS HAVE PLAYED TOP-25 SCHEDULES
As of Oct. 5, three different WAC members owned strength of schedule rankings within the top 25 nationally based on the NCAA RPI formula. Seattle U has played the sixth-toughest slate in the country, with top-10 matches played against Kentucky (No. 1 RPI), Washington (No. 8 RPI) and Louisville (No. 10 RPI). Utah Valley’s schedule was rated 21st and Air Force’s schedule ranked 23rd to date.
AITKEN RACKS UP THE SAVES FOR HCU
Reigning WAC Defensive Player of the Week Alex Aitken from Houston Christian has been one of the most effective goalkeepers in the conference this season, recording the most saves (47) and highest save percentage (.797) in the WAC as of Oct. 5. Aitken is the only WAC goalkeeper with seven or more saves in two different matches so far in 2022, notching seven against San José State on Sept. 30 and 11 versus Oral Roberts on Sept. 9.