Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/1/12
By David Willauer
(and Press Release)
Senior goalie Mark Manos made a successful homecoming with 15 saves while Robert Church and Brendan Glynn (St. Joseph’s Prep) combined for seven goals as Drexel remained unbeaten in CAA play tonight by defeating host Delaware in a Colonial Athletic Association game between nearby rivals, 11-8.
Church scored four times, including two in the final quarter when Drexel increased its lead to five after entering the quarter with just a two goal lead. Delaware (3-7, 0-3) made a late run with three goals in the final four minutes, but the Dragons prevailed and made the final 11-8 when Aaron Prosser scored as time expired. The Dragons improved to 5-5 and 3-0 in the CAA. It was their third straight win and snapped a three-game losing streak against their arch rivals.
For Manos, the win was special in his homecoming to Delaware. The former Salesianum School standout earned the Milt Roberts Award as the game’s MVP.
“This was the best game that I have played here, coming down to Delaware Stadium to play our rival ‘Blue Hens,'” he said. “I used to come to watch Delaware games when I was a kid and playing at Delaware Stadium is an experience.
“At the beginning of the season we struggled defensively and once when we started to pace and improve a bit we came together as a unit. Winning the Milt Roberts Award is great. Our team had a rough start with some one-goal losses, but we’re starting to mesh as a squad and are playing at the right time.”
Drexel coach Brian Voelker added: “We count on Mark; he is a hard worker and he stepped up and had a great game for our squad. This is a big win for us.”
The teams played an uneventful first seven minutes before the Blue Hens’ offense came alive, due in part to Drexel turnovers.
The Dragons turned it over in their own end, setting up a Delaware odd man rush. Grant Kaleikau fed Mark Yetter right in front by himself and he beat Mark Manos giving the Hens the 1-0 lead halfway with just under eight minutes to play. Just six seconds later, the Hens scored on a rebound after a clean face-off win making it 2-0. They extended the lead to three when Kaleikau set up Beau Jones (Germantown Academy) on the Hens’ third transition goal of the game. Drexel finally broke through when Aaron Prosser fed Brendan Glynn, who fired a shot 12 yards out, beating Delaware’s Chris Herbert, with 2:01 to play in the quarter.
Drexel took care of the ball a little better in the second period which led to much better offensive possessions. The Dragons cut the lead to one with 11:11 left in the half when Ryan Belka got his ninth of the season. Belka fired the shot after a dodge on the right side about 10 yards away. Drexel tied the game at 3-3 on the man-up with 5:53 left. Glynn set up Robert Church for the extra man goal evening the score. It remained that way in large part to Manos. The senior made nine of his saves in the second quarter, including many from in close.
The Dragons took their first lead of the game in the opening minutes when Church put DU up 4-3. That lead lasted just over two minutes as Jones scored his second of the night for Delaware. However, the Dragons responded by scoring three straight to go ahead, 7-4. Andrew Vivian fed Glynn from behind the net and the southpaw scored from right in front of the crease with 7:52 to go in the third. Glynn then set up Bergman for his first of the night. Vivian then got on the board with just under three to play in the third. The freshman came out from behind the net and fired a shot into the far lower corner. The Hens cut the deficit to two late in the quarter. John Austin’s unassisted goal with 27 seconds left in the third made it 7-5.
Freshman Jones led the Blue Hens with two goals and one assist while senior Carter Bloor scored twice.
The Dragons return home next Saturday when Penn State comes to Vidas Field. The Dragons and Nittany Lions face-off at 2 p.m.
Leave a Reply