LEWISBURG, Pa. — The United States Air Force Academy outscored Long Island University by 4-2 counts in both the first and second quarters to build an 8-4 lead in soaring to a 13-9 victory at the 2025 Bucknell Invitational hosted by Bucknell University.
The Falcons fell behind 27 seconds into the game as LIU’s Francisco de Zengotita Rodriguez (Fr., Guaynabo, Puerto Rico/Colegio San Jose) buried a shot at the 7:33 mark of the first quarter to stake the Sharks to a 1-0 margin. Air Force responded by riddling the LIU cage with shots at 6:18, 5:34 (penalty shot), 2:54 and 1:24 (man-up) to acquire a 4-1 lead. Jack French (So., Brisbane, Australia/St. Joseph’s College, Gregory Terrace) terminated the Falcons’ scoring flurry by pumping home a penalty shot with 15 seconds left in the opening eight minutes to chip Air Force’s lead back to 4-2.
The Falcons regained their wings and lobbed in goals at 4:53 and 59 seconds, while French found the back of the cage at 3:36 with a man-up score to set the scoreboard at 6-3 in favor of Air Force. Dylan Rothenberg (Fr., Costa Mesa, Calif./Foothill) chipped LIU’s deficit down to 6-4 with 50 seconds remaining in the second quarter, but consecutive tallies by Air Force’s Tom Leggett with 36 seconds (man-up) and 12 seconds (penalty shot) allowed the Falcons to nest with an 8-4 lead entering halftime.
Long Island attempted to fight back during the third quarter as Charlie Downey (Sr., Sherman Oaks, Calif./Notre Dame) (5:55), Mark Malamud (Fr., Brooklyn, N.Y./Midwood) (4:07, penalty shot), Anthony Guana (Jr., Lodi, Calif./St. Mary’s) (3:07) and French (2:39) connected to reel the Sharks within 10-8 heading into the fourth quarter.
Leggett (7:21, man-up) and Malamud (6:16, man-up) traded goals to start the fourth quarter prior to a pair of Air Force strikes at 4:47 and 2:28 icing 13-9 victory for the Falcons.
For LIU, French (three) and Malamud (two) led the way, while Downey, Rothenberg, Guana and de Zengotita Rodriguez each registered solo markers.
Air Force received six goals by Leggett, a trio from Jack Richards and single scores credited to Brady Kopperud, Colin Chase, Jackson Carter and Max Ellis.
