Feb. 28, 2017 Villanova, Pa. -
Facing Off: The Villanova Wildcats will play their first road game of the season against local rival Drexel. Tuesday will mark the 37th time that the Dragons and the Wildcats will face each other. Game time is set for 5:00 P.M. in Philadelphia.
Series History: Villanova has played Drexel more than any other team in program history and hold the all-time series record at 21-15. The Wildcats defeated No. 15 Drexel in 2014 by a final of 11-10 in overtime and won in 2015 at Villanova Stadium by a final of 14-11. Last season Jake Froccaro netted four goals while Jack Curran added three and Dan Willis played all 60 minutes in goal and had seven saves.
A Look at Villanova: The Wildcats will play their first road game of the season on Tuesday when they travel down 76 to take on the Drexel Dragons. Villanova is looking for their first win of the season, the Wildcats are 0-3 for the first time since 1994. Midfielder Jack Curran was named to the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll following his five point performance against Penn State.
Villanova's Offense: Ten Wildcats have contributed points this season, leading the group is junior attack Christian Cuccinello with 10 points. He also is tied for most goals on the team, with six, along with Jake Froccaro. Devin McNamara has a team high five assists and is also riding a 17 game goal scoring streak that dates back to the start of the 2015 season at Harvard.
Villanova's Defense: Villanova has edged out their opponents in faceoff's this season 48-to-88 with Luke Palmadesso taking 59 of them and winning 32 for a .542 winning percentage. Jake Froccaro has gone 11-for-16 with 16 ground balls and freshman Connor Kirst made his debut on the X and went 5-for 11 on Saturday against Penn State. Kurtis Naslonski, a longstick defensemen, has caused five turnovers and added four ground balls this season along with one goal. Goal time was spilt last game between Nick Testa and Dan Willis. Testa, the sophomore got the start, played the first half and finished with three saves. Willis, the senior, played the final half and collected seven saves, one ground ball, and one caused turnover.
A Look at Drexel: The Dragons are also looking for their first win of the season, they dropped their season opener at Virginia 18-14 and lost in their home opener to Albany 19-8. Senior defensemen, Jake Kiernan was named to the 2017 Preseason Colonial Athletic Association Team. Overall, Drexel was picked to finish fourth in the league behind Towson, Fairfield, and Hofstra.
Drexel's Offense: Over the last two games 14 different Dragons have contributed points, leading the group is Robert Frazee who has five on three goals and two assists. During Saturday's home opener, Joe Rainoldi had a hat trick while Chris McLallen scored two goals of his own.
Drexel's Defense: Jimmeh Koita and Brendan Fabian have taking a majority of the faceoffs this season and combined they are 21-for-59 with six ground balls. Leading the backfield has been Jude Whalen who has six ground balls and five caused turnovers. In goal for all 120 minutes has been senior Jimmy Joe Granito who has a .373 save percentage on the season, an 18.50 goals against average, and 22 saves.
The Last Meeting: Last season during a midweek matchup inside Villanova Stadium the Wildcats came out victorious by a final of 14-9. After ending the first quarter tied at 2 apiece, Villanova went on a 5-1 run in the second quarter to jump out to a lead that they would keep for the rest of the game. Luke Palmadesso went an impressive 17-for-24 from faceoffs while Jake Froccaro had four goals, Curran three, and Danny Seibel had a pair of his own.
