AFA’s Olsen Snags PEARL Honor

(Photo by Lance Wendt)

ATLANTA – The Air Force Academy rolled to three wins at the Rocky Mountain Rumble thanks to the play of Falcon junior backstop Eric Olsen, who is the Division II PEARL Goalie of the Week for the period ending Feb. 16.

The event started with Air Force battling Utah in the opener on Friday night and Olsen was sharp from the start. He made 15 saves and allowed five goals in three quarters before giving way to the backups in a 21-10 Falcons win.

On Saturday morning, the Falcons took on defending national champion Montana State, Olsen was critical in allowing Air Force to capture a 16-15 victory with 19 saves. He capped the weekend with 10 saves and two goals against in a half of action in a 15-6 win over North Dakota State.

For the weekend, the McLean, Va., product combined for 44 saves while allowing just 22 goals – good for a 66.7 save percentage. He also chipped in with 10 ground balls.

“Eric was fabulous this weekend,” said Air Force coach Robert Koehler. “His save percentage on the weekend against some of the best shooters in the country was way better than I expected. This is his first year as a starter and we are very happy with his play, both in and out of the cage.”

As the recipient of the PEARL Goalie of the Week honor, Olsen will receive a PEARL swag bag of goodies that will include PEARL lacrosse balls – the official ball of the MCLA.

Pearl Honor Roll

Ryan Conroy, William & Mary
The sophomore combined for 34 saves in a split weekend for the Tribe.

Chris Dunne, UNC-Charlotte
The junior turned away 20 of the 27 shots he saw in a 10-7 win over Florida Gulf Coast.

Brian Kemp, Kennesaw State
Despite not playing goalie in eight years, the middie came out of retirement to lead the Owls.

Sam Warner, UNC-Wilmington
The senior made 14 stops to lead the Seahawks to a comfortable win over App State.