Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/26/13
From Press Release
The Drexel men’s lacrosse team, fresh off its thrilling 20-19 win against Albany, hosts cross-town rival Villanova on tonight (7 p.m.) at Vidas Field. The Dragons moved into the top 20 after the win and are currently share the 14th spot in the USILA Poll with Penn. Drexel is 18th in the Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
The Dragons (1-1) battled back from a seven-goal deficit to knock off the 16th-ranked Great Danes on Saturday afternoon. Drexel fell behind early and trailed 7-1 after the first period. The lead got to seven when Albany went up 10-3, but the Dragons got going in the second half, scoring 15 times in the final 30 minutes.
Ben McIntosh and Nick Trizano each had four goals and two assists for the Dragons. Aaron Prosser, Ryan Belka and Frank Fusco each added three goals as five Dragons had hat tricks. Prosser added three assists to finish with six points, while both Belka and Robert Church (three assists) had five points. Freshman keeper Will Gabrielsen had 11 of his 18 saves in the second half.
McIntosh had seven goals and 10 points in the early going for Drexel. Prosser also has 10 points with five goals and five assists. Trizano and Belka each have nine points as the Dragons have scored 32 goals in two games. Villanova has just played one game this season, falling to No. 11 Lehigh, 11-9. Senior Jack Rice scored three goals to lead Villanova. Will Casterano handed out a pair of assists, while Greg Stamatov made 10 saves in goal.
Today marks the 33rd meeting between the two schools with the all-time series favoring the Wildcats 18-14. Villanova claimed the most recent outing on February 28th, 2012 in a 14-9 victory at Villanova Stadium and have been victorious against the Dragons for the past three seasons.
The Villanova-Drexel series is the longest running series history in the Wildcat record books – the Wildcats and Dragons have faced each other every season since Villanova began sponsoring lacrosse as a varsity sport in 1981.
The Last Meeting
#18 Drexel 9
Villanova 14
February 28, 2012
Villanova, Pa.
No. 8 Villanova Tops No. 18 Drexel in Top-20 Showdown
Eighth-ranked Villanova (3-0) got off to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back as the Wildcats downed No. 18 Drexel (1-2) 14-9 on Tuesday evening.
Villanova This Season: The Wildcats enter Tuesday’s contest with a 0-1 record after falling to No. 11 Lehigh 11-9 on Saturday, February 16th. Looking ahead and following the Delaware matchup on March 2nd, the Wildcats enter a five game stretch against opponents that are currently ranked in the top-20. As of the latest USILA Coaches and Nike/Inside Lacrosse Media Polls released on Monday, February 25th, Villanova has scheduled eight ranked opponents on their calendar this season: No. 1 Maryland, No. 2 Notre Dame, No. 8 Penn State, No. 12 Princeton, No. 14(t) Penn, No. 14(t) Drexel, No. 17 Lehigh and No. 18 Syracuse
`Nova Offense: The Villanova junior and senior classes have combined to produce 76% of offensive production through one game. Senior Jack Rice (Baltimore, Md.) leads the Villanova attack with three points via three goals while Nick Doherty (Bernardsville, N.J.), Will Casertano (Millbrook, N.Y.), Kevin O’Neil (Cockeysville, Md.) and Eric Gartner (Malvern, Pa.) follow closely behind with two points each. Junior face-off specialist Thomas Croonquist (North Caldwell, N.J.) has posted a .545 win percentage this season, taking 12-of-22 attempts.
‘Nova Defense: Freshman goalkeeper Greg Stamatov earned the starting role for Villanova through one game and posted a 10.31 GAA while making 10 saves. His save percentage currently stands at .500.
The starting trio at close defense, juniors John LoCascio, Chris Conroy (Chatham, N.J.) and Chris Piccirilli have combined for six round balls and four caused turnovers while sophomore Christian Kolderup and freshman John Moderski (Penn Charter) shared LSM duties and grabbed a combined for two caused turnovers.
A Look at Drexel: Drexel brings a 1-1 record into Tuesday’s showdown with the Wildcats. The Dragons are coming off a 20-19 victory over No. 16 Albany on Saturday and lost a close battle with then-No. 7 Virginia 13-12 in overtime to start the season.
Dragon Offense: Drexel averages 16.00 goals per game on offense and surrenders 15.50 goals per game defensively. Ben McIntosh (7g, 3a) and Aaron Prosser (5g, 5a) lead the team with 10 points each while Nick Trizano, Ryan Belka, Frank Fusco and Robert Church follow closely behind with nine and six points on the year through two games, respectively.
Dragon Defense: Freshman goalkeeper Will Gabrielsen (nephew of former Wings great Scott Gabrielsen) has earned the starting position for the Dragons and has played just over 120 minutes in net while making 33 saves and posting a 15.98 GAA. His save percentage currently stands at .508 after facing 107 shots. His close defensemen, Matt Dusek, Tyler Houchins (La Salle) and Pat Root have combined for 10 ground balls and four caused turnovers through two games.
The Last Meeting (2/28/12): Eighth-ranked Villanova (3-0) got off to a 6-0 lead in the first quarter and never looked back as the Wildcats downed No. 18 Drexel (1-2) 14-9 on Tuesday evening. Will Casertano led the team with two goals and three assists while Dan Gutierrez made 11 saves as eight different Wildcats posted points for the night. With the win, Villanova improved to 3-0 which marks the best start for the Wildcats since 2009 when the team posted a 4-0 record. Even more impressive, the Wildcats are 19-3 at home in Villanova Stadium since 2009.
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