Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 2/27/09
Two key men’s games involving Philly teams are on the schedule for tomorrow as Villanova hosts Penn (1 p.m.) in Division I and Cabrini entertains Haverford College (1 p.m.) in Division III.
After gaining a pulsating, 9-8 win at Drexel last weekend, Penn looks to complete a city sweep. Villanova, meanwhile, has won its first two games and looked quite impressive. Both teams received votes in the weekly USILA coaches’ poll and it’s possible the winner can crack the Top 20 this week.
Here are some game notes:
*Penn has won three in a row over Villanova, and four of the last five meetings. The Quakers escaped with a 7-6 victory last year at Franklin Field. Al Kohart scored three times in that win, while Alex Weber scored twice and Craig Andrzejewski recorded three points (1g, 2a).
*The Wildcats (2-0) are off to a great start, with decisive wins against Rutgers (8-4) and Lafayette (12-4). In last weekend’s win over the Leopards, Tim Driscoll and Paul Webber both scored four times.
Against the Scarlet Knights, Driscoll had three goals while Matthew Fritts scored twice; Webber had three assists. In goal, Andrew DiLoreto has made 18 saves and allowed just seven goals, a .720 save percentage. Villanova has struggled a bit on face-offs (.429 win percentage) but is 3-of-5 in man-up situations.
*Kohart, Weber and Garvey Heiderman all scored twice in the win over Drexel last week. Kohart’s points extended his point-scoring streak to 14 games, or every game of his collegiate career. Currently, it is the 14th-longest streak in the country.
*Senior Greg Murray (West Chester East) got the start in goal, his second as a collegian. He made 12 saves to gain the win, improving his lifetime record to 2-0 (the other win came in last season’s finale, a 13-9 decision over Army).
*On the face-off X, junior Justin Lynch won just two of nine draws in the first half but 10 of 12 in the second (including all seven in the fourth quarter). He had four ground balls.
*Junior Joe Kelly, a long stick on the face-off unit, picked up a team-high six ground balls and scored what proved to be the game-winning goal – just his second score as a collegian.
*Quoting Penn coach Brian Voelker: “Villanova has had a couple of pretty good wins, so they are playing with confidence and so are we after last weekend. Their goalkeeper has played very well to this point. I think we need to keep doing the things we did last weekend – win face-offs, get goals, and keep them off the scoreboard.
“Their attack has figured prominently in their scoring, so as a defense we need to identify those players and keep them in check.”
Cabrini hosts Haverford College in rematch
The last time the Black Squirrels played a game was against the same Cabrini Cavaliers in the second round of the NCAA tournament last year. Cabrini won, 13-10, and advanced to the quarterfinals to face eventually champion Salisbury.
Cabrini, ranked fifth in the nation, opened its 2009 season Wednesday with an 18-9 victory at Fairleigh Dickinson University. The Cavaliers’ 18 goals scored is a program record in a season-opening game.
Junior attackman Casey Grugan (Ridley) powered the Cavaliers’ offense with a career-best and game-high nine points on four goals and five assists. Grugan has totaled at least one point in the last 39 career games, dating back to his first game as a freshman in 2007. Senior attackman Scott Reimer (Henderson) collected five points on three scores and two helpers.
Six Cabrini players deposited at least two goals. Senior midfielder Christian Burrows (Woodlynde School), sophomore attackman Paul Skulski (Garnet Valley) and freshman attackman Brian Hill (Ridley) each recorded a hat trick against the Devils.
Haverford College – ranked 12th in the nation – went 11-5 last year, making its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament. The Cavaliers twice knocked off Haverford last season, downing the host Fords 13-8 in a non-conference game on April 16.
In a series that dates back to 1997, Cabrini and Haverford have split four meetings. The Black Squirrels earned a commanding 15-5 win against the Blue & White in the teams’ debut meeting. The Cavaliers have won the last two contests, both wins coming last season.
Haverford head coach Mike Murphy is in his seventh season. Murphy coached the Black Squirrels to a program-record for wins last season.
Top scorers sophomore Max Hjelm (Conestoga) and Brian Fleishhacker return to the Black Squirrels’ attack in 2009. Helm led Haverford with 63 points on 42 goals and 21 assists on year ago. Fleishhacker totaled 51 points, scoring 46 goals and tallying five assists. Face-off specialists Peter Hannapel (.557) and Kiley Norton (.500) anchor the Black Squirrels at the X.
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