via press release – photo via JU web site   RICHMOND, Va. – In its first appearance in the SoCon Tournament and first postseason trip under head coach John Galloway, the Jacksonville University men’s lacrosse program concluded its 2017 season in an 11-8 setback against No. 1 Air Force in the league semifinals Thursday. “While this certainly isn’t the way we expected our season to end, I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of this program, especially with this senior class who continued to fight on a daily basis regardless of where we were in the season,” said Galloway. “Because of their leadership, we made it to the SoCon playoffs for the first time in school history, and have now raised the bar for our program for years to come. “I’m excited about the talent we have returning. We certainly have a lot to learn from today’s film and the rest of the season, and will be back to work starting tomorrow morning. The sun will come up, and I look forward to building this program into a national contender.” A few days after earning his first career Player of the Week award, Eric Applegate opened up the day’s scoring with a shot at the 9:03 mark of the first quarter. The second-seeded Dolphins went on to conclude the stanza with a 2-1 edge – highlighted by a behind-the-back goal by Chase McIntyre —  but entered halftime trailing, 6-3, after allowing five second-quarter scores. The Falcons outshot Jacksonville, 26-9, in the opening half and notched one of their goals on a man-up opportunity. Air Force led by as much as five in the final half, before Will Hendrick cut it to three on two separate occasions with a man-up goal (5:05) and a 10-yard shot that began with a fake on his defender (9:28). He and Applegate led the Dolphin charge with a pair of goals. Jacksonville outscored the Falcons, 3-1, in the final quarter, and tabbed the final score of the evening with 3:58 remaining. Goaltender Ben Gleichenhaus recorded a spectacular night in the net tying a season-high with 17 saves.