March 18, 2011
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VILLANOVA, Pa. - The 15th-ranked Villanova Wildcats (6-1, 0-0 BIG EAST) have one week left to prepare for the start of their BIG EAST slate, but not before the Manhattan Jaspers (1-7, 0-0 MAAC) come to Villanova Stadium this Saturday. Game time is scheduled for 1 p.m.
Tomorrow's contest will be the fifth meeting in the all-time series between the two schools, with Villanova having the 4-0 advantage coming into the weekend matchup. The teams last met on April 10th, 2010 in Riverdale, N.Y. with the Wildcats bringing home a 14-6 victory.
Villanova This Season: The Wildcats enter tomorrow's contest with a 6-1 record and riding a five-game win streak. Earlier this week, Villanova defeated 11th-ranked Princeton, 10-9, for the first time in program history at the Class of 1952 Stadium, marking the third win over top-20 opponents this season. Villanova's lone loss of the year comes in a 10-8 defeat by Bucknell on Feb. 26th.
Villanova's Last Outing: The Wildcats scored seven unanswered goals to bridge the second and third quarters as No. 15 Villanova toppled No. 11 Princeton 10-9 in the Class of 1952 Stadium.
Senior Brian Karalunas (Dewitt, N.Y.) had a career-high eight caused turnovers and eight ground balls while sophomore Jack Rice (Baltimore, Md.) led VU with four goals. Junior Matt Bell (Serverna Park, Md.) added three assists in the effort. Sophomore goalkeeper Billy Hurley (Morristown, N.J.) captured 10 saves for the win.
'Nova Offense: 12 different players have found the back of the net for Villanova, with Kevin Cunningham (18g, 10a), Jack Rice (16g, 2a) and Will Casertano (9g, 9a) leading the attack. Cunningham currently ranks seventh in the NCAA averaging 4.33 points per contest and is 13th in the nation averaging 2.67 goals per game.
Junior Nolan Vihlen (Germantown, Tenn.) and freshman Thomas Croonquist (North Caldwell, N.J.) pieced together another dominating performance over Princeton on Tuesday, winning a combined 15-23 face-offs. Together they've averaged a .584 win percentage through seven games.
Additionally, versus their opponents, the Wildcats average 11.00 goals per game compared to the 8.43 of their competition and claim a .667 shot on goal percentage over their competitors .585.
'Nova Defense: Netminder Billy Hurley has been the staple between the pipes for the season, totaling over 418 minutes while making 62 saves on the year. The sophomore kept the Wildcats alive in the first quarter versus the Tigers, making four saves in the first 15 minutes of play. For the season, Hurley posts a .512 save percentage.
Senior LSM Brian Karalunas continues to hold is spot atop the NCAA rankings in caused turnovers per game, averaging 4.17 takeaways per contest. Against No. 15 Princeton, Karalunas had a career-high day with eight caused turnovers and grabbing eight ground balls. He also held the Tigers leading scorer, freshman Tom Schreiber, without a goal or assist and with just two shots. For the season, Karalunas has 33 takeaways and 30 ground balls on the year.
The starting trio at close defense: juniors Chris Creighton (West Chester, Pa.), Ryan McDonagh (Huntington, N.Y.) and senior Chris Ficke (Madison, N.J.) have combined for 35 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers through Villanova's seven games. Against Princeton, the trio held the Tigers scoreless for 31:11 - more than half the game.
Manhattan's Last Outing: Riding a three-goal effort from senior attacker Justin Jensen and two-goal performances from four different Jaspers, the Manhattan men's lacrosse team defeated Wagner 15-8 Wednesday afternoon at Wagner Stadium. Recording their highest point total of the season, the Jaspers (1-7) opened the contest with three-consecutive goals and never trailed in picking up their first win of the season against the Seahawks (0-5).
Manhattan this Season: Manhattan has struggled so far this season, earning their first victory on Wednesday evening over Wagner, 15-8. They've fell in contests to Rutgers, Robert Morris, Presbyterian, Air Force, Denver, Johns Hopkins and Sacred Heart.
Jasper Offense: Senior attackman Justin Jensen leads the team with 15 points via 11 goals and four assists, while Tyler Jarvis follows closely behind with eight goals and three assists. 14 others have contributed points on the season.
The Japers average 6.75 goals per game and post a .583 shot on goal percentage, compared to Villanova's 11.00 goals per game and .667 shot on goal percentage. Manhattan has gone 5-31 on man-up opportunities and has won only 72 of 168 face-offs, just over 43% of their attempts.
Jasper Defense: Freshman goalkeeper Rich Akapnitis has tallied 420 minutes in cage and averages a .568 save percentage for the season. He's made 92 saves on the season and averages 10.00 goals allowed per game.
Last Time vs. Manhattan (4/10/10): The No. 13 Villanova men's lacrosse team brought home a 14-6 non-conference victory over the Manhattan College Jaspers at Gaelic Park in Riverdale, N.Y. Villanova senior Paul Webber (Manhasset, N.Y.) tallied his second four-goal game of the season while junior Mike Brennan (Manhasset, N.Y.) aided with a three goal, one assist performance. Ten different players tallied points for the Wildcats in the victory.
