April 5, 2008
Box Score
RIVERDALE, N.Y. - Seven different players broke into the scoring column and Villanova (3-7) produced its best defensive effort in more than seven years in a 7-2 victory over Manhattan (2-7) on Saturday night at Gaelic Park. The Wildcats claimed their second straight victory with a balanced attack and timely defense to beat the Jaspers and win their first road game of the season.
The two goals allowed by Villanova were the fewest since a 10-2 victory over Lehigh on March 18, 2001. Although the Wildcats outscored Manhattan 5-1 in the decisive second half, the turning point of the game came in the second quarter. The Jaspers nursed a 1-0 lead after the opening period but Villanova tied the score 1-1 on a goal by senior Tim Atkins (West Chester, Pa.) just 16 seconds into the period.
Manhattan took four shots in the second quarter and all four were saved by junior goalie Andrew DiLoreto (Wilton, Conn.). Meanwhile, the Wildcats took five shots in the period and scored on two of them, including the first of three goals on the day by junior Tim Driscoll (Montville, N.J.) with 4:49 left in the stanza that gave Villanova the lead.
Driscoll scored early in both the third and fourth periods and in between classmate Tim Langan, Jr. (Madison, N.J.) notched a goal with 37 seconds left in the third quarter. Those three tallies put the Wildcats in front 5-1 before a man-up goal by the Jaspers' Michael Llewellyn with 10:04 to play in the game ended a long scoreless drought for Manhattan.
The thoughts of a home-team rally went no further, though, as Atkins scored again with 3:19 remaining and sophomore Paul Webber (Manhasset, N.Y.) closed the scoring with 2:37 left. Driscoll, Webber and Langan, Jr. each recorded at least one goal and one assist in the contest. Villanova had six different players assist on the seven goals it scored.
DiLoreto finished with seven saves for the evening, including five in the first half and two in the fourth quarter. The Wildcats picked up 32 ground balls compared to 24 for the Jaspers and DiLoreto's six pick-ups were a game high. Villanova also finished the game with a 19-17 shot advantage, face-off wins in seven-of-13 opportunities and a successful outcome on 23-of-26 clearing attempts.
Marc LaBelle and Llewellyn each scored goals for Manhattan and Brian Wynne had an assist. John Geagan manned the net and had five saves for the Jaspers.
The Wildcats now return home for a conference game against Hofstra on Wednesday night at 7 p.m.
NOTES: Villanova had been 0-5 on the road this season prior to tonight's game ... The team will place twice at home and twice on the road in its final four contests, which are all league games on the CAA schedule ... The Wildcats last road win had come in a 9-8 triumph at Hofstra last season ... Villanova has allowed as few as one or two goals in a game nine times in school history and only three times since the 1993 season ... The only previous time the Wildcats had ever allowed as few as two goals in a road game came in a 14-1 win at Lafayette on April 9, 1997.
