Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
#14 Delaware
Men's Lax Defeats 14th-ranked Delaware, 11-7
4/7/2007 6:16:06 PM | Men's Lacrosse
Philadelphia – Drexel held Delaware scoreless over the final 21 minutes of the game and defeated the 14th-ranked Blue Hens, 11-7, at Vidas Field. Four players had at least two goals for the Dragons, who won for the fourth straight time and improved to 8-3 overall (2-0 CAA). The Blue Hens fell to 6-4 overall (1-1 CAA).
With the score tied at seven apiece, Andrew Chapman scored the go-ahead goal with 4:33 remaining in the third period. In the final seconds of the quarter, Chapman set up freshman Greg Casey for his fourth goal of the year. That put Drexel up 9-7 at the end of three. Early in the fourth quarter, Casey set up Jon Van Houten for his second goal of the game. Mike Filippone's unassisted score with 8:19 to play gave Drexel all the insurance it would need. Drexel goalkeeper Bruce Bickford had five of his 13 saves in the fourth quarter, including a pair of point blank saves on man-down situations. The Dragons were called for five penalties in the fourth period, but Bickford and the man-down unit came up big and preserved the win.
Drexel led 6-4 at the half, but the Blue Hens erased that lead early in the third quarter. Kevin Kaminski scored just over a minute into the period, and then, at the 8:45 mark, Nick LoManto scored a man-up goal to tie the game at six. Two minutes later, Drexel's Jon Van Houten scored an unassisted goal to give the Dragons a brief lead. That lasted all of 25 seconds as Delaware's Curtis Dickson set up Chris Hichborn to knot the game at 7-7.
The Dragons started the game strong and had a four-goal lead at 5-1 with ten minutes to play in the first half before the Blue Hens started chipping away. Adam Zuder-Havens and Dan Deckelbaum each scored a goal to cut the lead to 5-3. The teams swapped goals before heading to the half with the Dragons ahead, 6-4.
Chapman, the Dragons leading scorer, finished with three goals and an assist. Van Houten, Colin Ambler and Filippone each scored twice. The game featured the two top face-off teams in the nation. Delaware's Alex Smith, who entered the game first in the county in face-off percentage at 80 percent, won 13 of 21 face offs. Drexel freshman Zak Fisher won six face-offs against Smith and Filippone won a pair. Fisher entered the game third in the nation in face-off percentage at .693. In the game, Smith set the NCAA record for most career face-offs attempted (1,273).
Delaware's offense was led by Deckelbaum, who scored twice. Zuder-Havens, Chris Hichborn and Jordan Hall each contributed a goal and an assist. The Blue Hens outshot Drexel. 42-30 and had 37 ground balls to 24 for the Dragons.
The victory gave Drexel two wins against top-20 opponents this year. Drexel opened the 2007 season with an 11-10 upset at top-ranked Virginia. It is still the Cavaliers only loss of the season. Drexel hosts Villanova in a Colonial Athletic Association game on Wednesday night at Vidas Field beginning at 7 p.m.
Scoring Summary
UD 1-3-3-0---7
DU 4-2-3-2---11
Individual Scoring
Delaware: Dan Deckelbaum 2-0, Adam Zuder-Havens 1-1, Jordan Hall 1-1, Chris Hichborn 1-1, Kevin Kaminski 1-0, Nick LoManto 1-0, Curtis Dickson 0-1. Saves: Tommy Scherr 4 (59:19), Warren Mayberry 0 (0 GA, 0:41).
Drexel: Andrew Chapman 3-1, Jon Van Houten 2-2, Colin Amber 2-1, Mike Filippone 2-0, Greg Casey 1-1, Ron Garling 1-0. Saves: Bruce Bickford 13.
Shots: UD 42, DU 30
Groundballs: UD 37, DU 24
Face-offs: UD 13, DU 8
Extra-man scoring: UD 2-8, DU 1-5
Penalties: UD 7-5:30, DU 10-7:30
