VILLANOVA, Pa. – Men's Lacrosse snapped their two-game losing streak by continuing their winning ways against the Drexel Dragons by a score of 9-6.
Villanova moves to 2-3 on the season entering a two-game road trip, while Drexel falls to 3-3.
The Wildcats are now 27-17 against Drexel all-time, with four consecutive wins, dating back to 1981.
Mike Corrado moves to 12-6 in his career against the Dragons.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Drexel struck first during a two-minute-long stretch with the ball on their third scoring attempt while controlling the possession by attackman Whit Crawford.
The Wildcats made the most of their own two long possessions in the first frame, where they wound the shot clock down past 30 seconds on both and netted goals.
Both
Colin Michener and
Nicholas Lucchesi were able to capitalize off of the ball movement and broke down their matchups, leading to scores.
After the Dragons went on a three-goal run over 3:19 to start the second quarter, Michener answered back for his second multi-goal game of the season on a bounce shot, cutting the deficit to 4-3 in favor of Drexel.
Lucchesi found the back of the net for his second goal of the day with just 1.5 seconds to go in the half, knotting the game up at four entering the break.
The Dragons were able to send in 23 shots during the first half, 5 of which
Denis Fargione saved, holding them to just four goals in the half.
The second half was controlled by both sides of the ball for the Wildcats as they outscored the Dragons 5-2 in a gritty matchup reminiscent of the earliest between the two foes separated by just nine miles.
Matt Licata got on the board twice in a row to start the third quarter and give the Wildcats their first multiple-goal lead of the game at 6-4.
The New Hampshire native was held scoreless in his last time out against Lehigh for the first time since April 28, 2023, against Georgetown and was able to bounce back with the two goals in this one.
After Drexel cut the lead back down to one off of a Will Farrell goal,
Matthew Swirbalus recorded his first career goal to extend it back to two.
The Dragons leading scorer, Max Semple, tallied a score of his own on the next possession to enter the fourth with the 'Cats ahead by just one.
David Link did all the scoring for Villanova in the fourth, scoring twice. The redshirt sophomore totaled his first career game scoring multiple goals.
Fargione and the defense held the opposition scoreless in the final stanza, with the goalie recording four of his 11 saves in that period.
Ryan Cunningham fared very well in the circle against the Dragons, going 8-12 to the tune of a .667% win rate and scooped up a Wildcat season high seven ground balls.
That was the sophomores highest win percentage in a game since going 9-13 against St. John's on April 13, 2024. A performance which won him BIG EAST Freshman of the Week.
FAST FACTS
This was the least number of goals given up by Villanova to Drexel in the
Mike Corrado era. The 'Cats last allowed six or fewer goals to the Dragons on March 25, 2006, in Randy Marks' last season at the helm in a 7-6 victory.
In 1984, the Wildcats allowed their second least goals to the Dragons in the 44 total meetings between the two teams, outlasting them 7-4, helped by a goal by then Villanova defender
Mike Corrado.
This was the Wildcats eighth consecutive game at Villanova Stadium, and they will hit the road for the first time in 322 days. Villanova is one of three teams in Division I that have yet to play an away game in 2025 as of March 4, the other two being Le Moyne and Ohio State.
Fargione, Licata, Link, Lucchesi, and Michener were interviewed after the game by color commentator Enrique Hervada. He was later joined by Corrado and Assistant Coach
Chris Miller. That interview can be seen below.
UP NEXT
After this matchup, the Wildcats will hit the road for their first time since April 20, 2024, when they take on the University of Pennsylvania Quakers at Franklin Field on Saturday, March 8, at 3:30 P.M.
TICKETING
Individual game tickets are available for the rest of the season; please check
here for more information and to purchase tickets for upcoming games.
SOCIAL
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