Air Force Women's Soccer Celebrates Senior Day Against Eastern Washington

Due to ongoing access procedures at the U.S. Air Force Academy, visitors without a DoD ID card must obtain a visitor pass in advance to enter the base.

Historically, Air Force and Eastern Washington have met four times, with the Falcons holding an all-time record of 2-0-2 against the Eagles since their first matchup in 2011, which ended in a 3-2 victory for Air Force. In their most recent encounter last season, the teams played to a 2-2 draw in Washington, with Annika Jost contributing a goal for the Falcons.

In their last match, Air Force secured a 2-1 comeback victory against Denver on Thursday at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium. Annika Jost and Chase Borntreger scored for the Falcons, while goalkeeper Sydney Nelms recorded five saves. This victory marked Air Force's first win over Denver since 2015 and its first on Denver's home field.

Denver opened the scoring in the 19th minute, but Air Force equalized shortly after halftime when Jost scored a rebound in the 47th minute. Borntreger then secured the win with a long-range shot in the 73rd minute.

Before the game on Sunday, Air Force will honor six seniors: Chase Borntreger, Ava Carpentier, Addie Doyle, Kendall Rippley, Lauren Steinlage, and Clara Teigland. Three of these seniors – Carpentier, Rippley, and Steinlage – will go on to pilot training after graduation, while Borntreger will commission as an Intelligence Officer, Doyle plans to attend medical school, and Teigland will start a career as a Civil Engineer.

The Falcons have been aggressive offensively, taking 101 shots over seven matches, with 49 on target, and scoring 18 goals. Annika Jost and Maddy Walsh are the leading shooters for the team with 15 and 14 shots respectively. Addie Doyle and Kendall Rippley follow closely with 11 attempts each.

Air Force's offensive output has outscored opponents 16-7 this season, ranking 45th nationally in scoring offense. The team has been particularly effective in the second half, netting 11 goals compared to five in the first half.

Goalkeeper Sydney Nelms has been pivotal in goal, starting five matches and accumulating 33 saves, contributing to the team's two shutouts earlier in the season. Nelms earned her first shutout in a 4-0 win against Navy, where she recorded six saves. She has shown her reliability by facing numerous shots, including a season-high nine saves against Texas A&M.

Eastern Washington enters the match with a record of 5-2, recently suffering losses to Wyoming and Grand Canyon, both finishing 2-0. The Eagles have registered four shutouts this season and have outscored their opponents 9-5, with Mia Miconi leading the team with three goals. Goalie Payton Hyde has a 0.71 goals-against average, boasting 44 saves so far this season.