Drexel University Athletics
Drexel University
Old Dominion
Men's Soccer Opens Two-Game Road Swing at Old Dominion Tonight
10/30/2009 11:01:16 AM | Men's Soccer
Philadelphia - The Dragons will be on the road this weekend as they play out the final stretch of the season with matches against Old Dominion and UNC Wilmington on the docket. Drexel will face the sixth-place Monarchs in Norfolk on Friday night at 7:00 p.m. before traveling to Wilmington on Monday to make up a match against the Seahawks that was rained out on Sept. 26. Tonight's match is a must-win for Old Dominion if the Monarchs want to keep their CAA Tournament hopes alive.
Teams: Drexel (5-9-1, 1-6-1) vs. Old Dominion (9-4-2, 4-3-2)
Venue: ODU Soccer Complex, Norfolk, Va.
All-Time Series: Old Dominion leads 6-1-2
Last Meeting: Drexel fell 2-1 to Old Dominion in the teams' last meeting at Vidas Field. Both Monarch goals were scored by Steffen Rabben. The first came in the 29th minute when he blasted a shot past Alex Reber in net and the second just three minutes into the second half when Reber misstruck a ball inside the box, allowing Rabben to knock home the goal. Reber made a career high eight saves in just his second start of the season. The Cole Feffer scored his first career goal in the 86th minute off of a feed from Anthony Bafile.
Entering the Game: Drexel fell 3-1 to George Mason. Rookie Taylor Brophy scored his first career goal on a header in the 17th minute off a cross from Skylar Olson. Enersto Marquez scored the first and last goals for George Mason. Brophy's goal tied the match after the Dragons gave up an early tally. The Patriots found the go-ahead score just minutes into the second half when Victor Freeman fought off his defender and slipped the ball near post past goalie Tres Heffron. The Dragons ramped up the effort to outshoot the Patriots 8-6 in the second half and out corner them 2-1. But none of the chances resulted in a goal. During the last minute of play, the Patriots found their final goal on a quick counter as a result of Drexel's full-field offensive pressure as the Dragons tried for an equalizer to send the game into overtime. Heffron had three stops in the match while Mason goalie Sean Kelley had one.
Players to Watch: Rookie Taylor Brophy has seen action in seven matches for the Dragons and is coming off a contest in which he scored his first career goal. Watch for Brophy to continue evading opponents' defensive units in the midfield as he generates scoring opportunities for Drexel.
Old Dominion junior goalkeeper Evan Newton is tied for first in the CAA for shutouts this season with seven. Newton also boasts an 0.83 goals against average, which ranks fourth in CAA. The Monarchs are lead offensively this season by a pair of rookies, Yannick Smith, with three goals and five assists, and Shane Howard, with two goals and six assists.
Up Next: Drexel will make up its cancelled September 26th match against
UNC Wilmington on Monday, Nov. 2. Game time is set for 12:00 p.m.
