Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 3/1/11
From Press Releases
Villanova scored two goals in a span of 48 seconds late in the game to break open a 12-12 tie and then held on to defeat host Drexel, 14-13, today in a battle of Philly men’s Division I powers.
The Wildcats (2-1) overcame a five-goal effort by Dragons sophomore Brendan Glynn (St. Joseph’s Prep) and seven points from Scott Perri (four goals, three assists).
In a game that was tied six times, Villanova took the lead for good with 5:24 remaining. Michael Vigilante took a feed from Matt Bell to put the Wildcats ahead, 13-12.
Moments later, Kevin Cunningham set up Jack Rice, who beat Drexel (1-2, ranked No. 16) keeper Mark Manos (Salesianum School) from in close to put Villanova up by a pair of goals. Drexel answered with 2:06 remaining in the game as Dan Layfield scored his second goal of the fourth quarter to trim the lead to one at 14-13.
Head Coach Michael Corrado states, “This is a great win over a top-20 team and huge rival for us. It’s a big win early in the season, I’m proud of the way we rebounded from our loss against Bucknell. We beat a very good opponent in Drexel.”
“Offensively, Kevin [Cunningham] had a great game (four goals, two assists). It’s always good to see balanced scoring and Max Hart (two goals), Matt Bell (two goals, two assists) and Michael Vigilante (one goal, two assists) all gave us good looks.”
The Wildcats got possession after the face-off, but on a few occasions the Dragons were able to get the ball on the ground. However, Drexel was not able to keep possession to get a shot off until they forced a late turnover with under 15 seconds remaining. The Dragons got the ball over midfield and Nick Trizano gave them one last chance. A Villanova defender broke up a shot attempt right before time expired as the Wildcats held on.
Villanova entered the final frame ahead 9-8 after what turned out to be one of the biggest plays of the game. It appeared the game would be tied at eight, but Cunningham set up Mike Bell who scored as time expired. The goal counted and the Dragons were assessed a dead ball penalty after the play.
The penalty gave the Wildcats the ball on the man-up, and 22 seconds into the fourth quarter Villanova capitalized when Vigilante scored to make it 10-8. Perri scored two quick goals, his third and fourth of the game to tie it, but Villanova once again held the Dragons from taking the lead. Will Casertano and Hart each tallied a goal to again put Villanova up by two, this time with 7:41 to play.
Drexel countered with goals from Craig Owen (Haverford School) and Layfield to tie it before the ‘Cats went ahead for good.
Drexel’s Glynn scored two goals in the first five minutes of the game as Drexel went up 2-0. The ‘Cats answered with three straight goals. Nick Doherty, C.J. Small and Cunningham each found the net as Villanova took the lead for the first time.
Drexel’s Chris Farquahar set up Perri’s first goal of the game with 1:11 left in the first quarter as the teams ended the first 15 minutes tied at three. Villanova scored the first two goals of the second quarter, but Perri set up Glynn twice in the span of 29 seconds to even it at 5-5. Glynn’s goals were matched minutes later by a pair of Cunningham goals and Villanova went to intermission ahead by two at 7-5.
Perri finished with a career-best seven points, with four goals and three assists. Glynn, just a sophomore, also had a career-high with his five goals, four coming in the first half. Manos had his third straight game with at least 10 saves. The All-American made 14 stops, many from the doorstep as Villanova was able to penetrate the Drexel defense on a number of occasions in the game. Cunningham led Villanova with four goals and two assists. Bell added four points and Billy Hurley made eight saves.
Drexel heads to South Bend, Ind., this weekend to face Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish, who advanced to the NCAA title game a year ago, are ranked fourth in the nation.
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