Men's Lacrosse Falls to No. 14 Villanova on Tuesday Afternoon, 14-9

Tuesday, March 1

Villanova, Pa.

1:00

Drexel University

#14 Villanova

Photo by: Greg Carroccio

Men's Lacrosse Falls to No. 14 Villanova on Tuesday Afternoon, 14-9

3/1/2016 2:17:00 PM | Men's Lacrosse

Box Score

Villanova, Pa. - Villanova opened the second quarter by scoring five of the first six goals to break a 2-2 tie and went on to defeat Drexel, 14-9. The Dragons fell to 0-3 on the season, while the 14^th-ranked Wildcats moved to 2-1.

Jake Froccaro scored four goals for the Wildcats and Jake Curran added three more. Villanova outshot Drexel, 54-39, as it picked up its second straight win. Mason Pynn, Joe Rainoldi and Matthew Varian each scored two goals in a losing cause for the Dragons.

Drexel fought off two Villanova man-advantages early in the first quarter and then opened the scoring with 2:41 to go in the first. Will Manganiello dodged past a Villanova defender and scored his fourth goal of the year. However, moments later Drexel picked up its third penalty of the quarter, and this time Villanova took advantage of the opportunity. The Dragons appeared to stop the man-up opportunity after a Villanova turnover, but Drexel gave it right back. Jake Froccaro caused the turnover, picked up the ground ball and walked in from the left side to tie it. Each team would add another goal in the final minute of the quarter. Varian set up Pynn for Drexel's second goal, but Villanova's Curran narrowly beat the buzzer at the end of the first to tie it.

The Wildcats broke a 2-2 tie by scoring two straight goals to start the second as part of a 5-1 run. Devin McNamara gave the 'Cats the lead with an unassisted goal in the first minute. Jake Froccaro added another just 27 seconds later to make it 4-2. The Dragons cut the lead to 4-3 when Rainoldi dodged a defender down the right side and put it in the far corner. Villanova answered with three straight to make it a 7-3 contest. Curran, Danny Seibel and Sean Cerrone were the goal scorers during the run that put the Wildcats ahead for good. Drexel's Varian, this week's CAA Rookie of the Week, had his first of the game on a nice move with 5:16 to play before intermission. Drexel got the next possession and Varian found the net once again. He came in from behind the net and rifled a shot into the far top corner, cutting Villanova's lead to 7-5. Jake Froccaro added his third of the day with 3:32 to play to make the score 8-5 in favor of the Wildcats at halftime. Villanova outshot Drexel, 31-20, and dominated possession time as they won 10 of 14 face-offs and had five man-up opportunities in the first half.

Villanova's lead swelled to as many as five in the early going of the third quarter. Curran and Timmy Hardy scored in the early going to give the 'Cats a 10-5 lead. Drexel's Pynn and Rainoldi sandwiched goals around Christian Cuccinello's goal for Villanova to cut into the deficit. The teams went to the fourth with Drexel down, 11-7. The fourth quarter was all Villanova as they scored three goals and held Drexel without a goal in the period until Cole Shafer and Cam Harris scored in the game's closing minutes.

Jimmy Joe Granito made 14 saves for the Dragons and was under pressure most of the game. The Wildcats had seven extra-man opportunities in the game, but were held to just one goal. Dan Willis picked up the win in the cage for Villanova, turning aside seven shots. Varian finished with four points and now has nine points in his last two games.

Drexel concludes its three-game road swing with a game at Villanova on Tuesday.