Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 4/3/21
From Press Releases
Host Drexel scored three straight goals midway through the fourth quarter to break an 8-8 tie and defeated No. 18 UMass, 12-11, today. Sean Donnelly had a huge day with six assists and eight points and Aidan Coll (Hill School) had a hat trick as the Dragons won their third-straight game and improved to 4-2 (2-2 CAA). The Minutemen had been unbeaten in league play before Saturday and are now 3-2 overall and 3-1 in conference play.
The teams went into the final quarter tied at 6-6 before the offenses really started to click. Jack Mulcahy (Downingtown East) scored a circus-like goal while being held just 32 seconds into the fourth quarter to give Drexel the lead. He switched hands and somehow got an unorthodox shot off with his left hand to make it 7-6. Two and a half minutes later, Drexel extended the lead on the man-up.
Donnelly made a nice feed from the left side right on to Zach Augustine’s (Avon Grove) stick while the freshman was sitting on the crease. He scored his second man-up of the day to give Drexel the momentum and a two-goal cushion. That didn’t last long as Gabriel Procyk and Billy Philpott each scored unassisted goals to even the score at 8-8 with 8:30 to play.
Drexel responded in a big way and Donnelly had his hand in on each of the next three goals. He scored two goals, sandwiched around a Coll goal that he set up as the Dragons went ahead 11-8 with 2:03 to play. UMass tried to get back in it as Mike Tobin scored with 1:26 to play, but Drexel’s Ryan Genord scored on the empty net to put the game out of reach with 67 ticks left on the clock. UMass added two goals in the final 13 seconds but it wasn’t enough. The teams split their season series, with each winning on its home field.
Donnelly continued his stellar first season in University City. He had six of his eight points in the second half. The eight points were the most for a Drexel player since Ben McIntosh had eight points against Penn State during the 2014 season. Coll picked up his fifth career hat trick in the game.
Drexel freshman Luke Tomak, playing in his first collegiate game, had a pair of goals. Genord scored twice, while Mulcahy had a goal and an assist.
Ross Blumenthal made 11 saves for the Dragons, including five in the second half. He allowed just eight even-man goals as the Minutemen converted three of their six extra-man opportunities. Drexel outshot UMass in the game, 38-36.
Clayton Proctor (Radnor) scored once for UMass.
Villanova 13, Providence 6
Led by a career high seven goals by Keegan Khan host Villanova defeated Providence for the second time this season.
Khan’s goal scoring started off early netting the first goal of the game just under a minute in. It would take also another 10 minutes before the senior attackman would then net the second goal of the game to push the Wildcats up 2-0. Tucker Goodelle dished it to Patrick Daly at 4:26 to put Villanova up three and then Khan would complete the hat trick at the 3:30 mark in the first. The Friars got on the board just seconds after, but Khan would set up Eric Overbay who ripped a long shot into the back of the cage to make it 5-1 Villanova at the end of the first quarter.
The Wildcats and Friars would each net one goal in the second quarter, Daly score for Villanova and Evan McGreen did for Providence to make it 6-2 Villanova at the half.
Matt Campbell opened the third quarter scoring in the opening seconds and the Friars answered with a goal minutes later. Campbell score his second just seconds after on a pass from Khan to make it 8-3.
Khan’s scoring run continued into the final quarter; the senior netted the first two goals just over 30 seconds a part to make it 10-3. Colin Crowley netted a goal net on a pass from Campbell and then Khan would score his third of the quarter to make it 12-3. The Friars scored at the 6:14 mark to end the Wildcats 5-0 run. Khan’s goal scoring was not done yet the attackman netted his seventh of the day at the 3:57 mark to make it 13-4. Providence would score two more in the final seconds to make it 13-6.
Will Vitton had a standout day in goal. The junior keeper finished with 11 saves and a .733 save percentage in just over 58 minutes.
Tom Fegley (Moravian Academy) won 8 of 1`4 faceoffs for Providence.