Facing Off: No. 11 Villanova will take on the Penn Quakers as part of the inaugural Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic on Friday at 7:30 P.M. inside Villanova Stadium. On Sunday the Wildcats will travel to Vidas Athletic Complex and take on the Drexel Dragons for day two of the Classic. Both games can be seen on LSN.
Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic: In its inaugural season, the four Division I schools in the Philadelphia area will play a total of four games over the weekend. First Drexel and Saint Joseph's will kick things off at 5:00 P.M. on Friday followed by the Wildcats and Quakers at 7:30 P.M. All of Friday's action can be seen in Villanova Stadium, with one game ticket valid for both games. On Sunday, the teams will travel down Lancaster Ave. to Vidas Athletic Complex for the final day of the Classic. Drexel will host Villanova for a noon game and followed by Penn and Saint Joseph's facing off at 2:30 P.M. All four games can be seen on LSN.
Matchup History: Friday will be the 30
th meeting between Villanova and Penn. The Wildcats have won the last three games in the meeting of these local schools and all-time have won 12. Against Drexel, the Wildcats have won 23 of the previous 38 matchups.
A Look at Villanova: The Wildcats have won their last three games, including most recently against the Delaware Blue Hens 17-9. In the last two games freshman midfielder
Matt Campbell has netted six goals in both games. This week Villanova is ranked 11
th in both the USILA Coaches Poll and Inside Lacrosse Media Poll.
Villanova's Offense: The Wildcat's had five players net their first collegiate goals last weekend against Delaware. Campbell leads the Wildcats with 14 goals this season while
Keegan Khan and
Joey Froccaro both have five. Khan has been dishing out the assists over the last two goals, the sophomore has had four in the last two games. Rookie
Patrick Daly not only was one of the five to net their first goals in the blue and white last Saturday, but also completed a hat trick in the process.
Villanova's Defense: Freshman goalkeeper
Will Vitton played his first complete game last Saturday and picked up the win between the posts. Vitton on the season has 11 saves and 6.64 goals against average. Against the Blue Hens both
Dan Fisher and
Zack Ornstein saw success at the faceoff dot, Fisher won 13-of-15 while Ornstein was 14-of-15 with a team high 10 ground balls. SSDM TJ Comizo and
Chris Donovan have combined for 22 ground balls this season.
A Look at Penn: The Quakers are 0-3 coming into the Philly 4 Lacrosse Classic after fall to all top 5 ranked teams to start the season. Penn lost by one to both No. 3 Maryland and No. 5 Penn State. Adam Goldner has 11 points while Simon Mathias has eight. Kyle Gallagher has taken every faceoff for the Quakers and is 46-of-83 with a team high 28 ground balls. In goal has been senior keeper Reed Junkin who has played every minute in goal for Penn, has 14.99 goals against average and. 438 save percentage.
A Look at Drexel: Before the Wildcats take on the Dragons on Sunday afternoon they will take on the Saint Joseph's Hawks in the opening game of the Classic Friday at 5:00 P.M. Currently Drexel is 1-3 overall and coming off a loss to Jacksonville on the road. The Dragons first win of the season came in double overtime against Michigan in Ann Arbor. Reid Bowering leads Drexel with 14 goals. Marshal King has dished out eight assists and has 13 points, while Matthew Varian has eight goals and 10 points. Jimmeh Koita has taken a majority of Drexel's faceoffs this season and has won 62-of-166 (.534) and has a team high 32 ground balls.
