March 14, 2001

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Villanova Wildcats
versus
Lafayette Leopards

Wednesday * March 14, 2001
Metzgar Fields * 3:30 p.m.

Scouting Lafayette: Lafayette enters today's game with a 1-0 record overall. They opened their 2001 season on March 10 when they battled Virginia Military Institute. They were victrious over the Cadets of VMI 8-7. Leading the way for the Leopards in that tussle was senior Kevin Bromby. Bromby accounted for three goals and one assist in the win. He was joined offensively by Morgan Battle, Tim Derosier, Drew Stotler, and Mike Fiorillo. Each of the four players netted one goal in the effort. In goal for Lafayette, Duncan Woodard was solid recording a .462 save percentage. For Villanova to be effective they must utilize their talent. Primarily, the focus will be on the first midfield. The opposition has prospered against Villanova by focusing on shuting down this line. Against Drexel they fired 12 shots and did not connect on any of their attempts. For the season, they have taken 40 shots and only tallied on four of them. If this line becomes more effective it will open up the attack, which is already extremely potent offensively, tallying 17 goals in three games. Together Villanova's offense can be extremely prolific. Look for Randall Calvert to step to the forefront against Lafayette to get the first midfield firing on all cylinders.

Last Time Out: Villanova fell behind 8-5 with less than four minutes to play and could not recover despite a late rally. The Wildcats tallied twice in the games last three minutes, but they could not convert after winning a face-off with 24 seconds left in regulation. For the Wildcats, attackmen Brian Marks, Justin Marks, and Andrew Bogle all played phenomenally. They netted two goals a piece, with Brian Marks and Bogle each picking up an assist as well. In goal, All-America candidate Matt Wilk continued his fine playing recording 13 saves in 60 minutes of action.

Corso's Crazies: Easily Villanova's most athletic player, Owen Corso also possess many other traits which are to be desired. The sophomore from Franklin Lakes, NJ is also the team's biggest character. Corso can often be seen pre-game attempting to intimidate the opposition with his antics and in-game saluting the crowd for their fine effort. If this season's first three games are any indication of Corso's ability to intimidate the opposition and fire up his teammates, he has been extremely effective. In the three games, Corso has tallied 13 groundballs to lead the team in that category. Often the Ramapo High School product just picks the ball cleanly out of the air and starts a fast break the other way. Against St. Joe's Corso picked four balls cleanly and then started the transistion that lead to two Wildcat goals.

Hungry For Home Cooking: After today's Lafayette game, Villanova will return home for three straight home games. Including the Lafayette game, Villanova has been on the road for three straigh games from March 3rd through the 14th. On the home swing, Villanova will host Lehigh on March 18, Dartmouth on March 24, and Sacred Heart on March 31. Their next road game will on April 3 against perennial national power Johns Hopkins at 7:00 PM.

Tough Road Ahead: Villanova enters its inaugural campaign in the 21st century much the same as it has in previous years. The Wildcats will do battle with perennial national powers, including preseason #4 Johns Hopkins, #6 Loyola, #23 Pennsylvania, and #25 Denver. Villanova has already played preseason #18 Penn State and was defeated 14-7. The five ranked opponents are one more than they had on their schedule at the end of the 2000 season.

Extra Man Advantage: In the year 2000 Villanova's man-up offense was prolific producing goals 57 percent of the time. Their effectiveness allowed them to garner a prestigious accolade as the nation's best extra man offense. In 2001, Villanova has continued that trend and is easily at their best in extra man situations. The Wildcats currently are scoring at a 40 percent clip, while holding opponents to 25 percent effectiveness. Villanova has slowly increased their extra man effectiveness. In their opening game the Wildcats tallied goals in one of four attempts. Against Drexel, Villanova succeeded in scoring on three of their six chances.

Tough Marks: Villanova men's lacrosse head coach Randy Marks has been apart of the Wildcats lacrosse program for 19 years. Over those 19 years, Marks has seen three of his son's play for his team. His first son David played for the Wildcats for two years before transferring to Johns Hopkins. Currently his middle and youngest sons play on his first attack line. Together the two brothers are prospering. Combined they have tallied 12 of Villanova's 26 goals. Justin Marks has eight goals on the season, while Brian has four. Brian also has tallied six assists to assume the team's lead in points with 10.

Fab Freshman: The dawn of the new millenium brought with it some change for the 2001 Villanova men's lacrosse team. Minus eight seniors that graduated in May of 2000, the Wildcats needed to replace a skilled midfield. To balance the deficit incurred, head coach Randy Marks went out and brought in 14 newcomers, including 11 midfielders. Amongst the fine recruiting class, Marks found three gems that have stepped to the forefront immediately. Freshman Richie Kratz, David Cacciabeve, and Matt Lucas all have been important to Villanova's midfield. Combined they have tallied four goals and 14 groundballs. Kratz leads the trio with two goals, while Lucas leads in groundballs with 12. Lucas has also been extremely effective on face-offs winning 71.4 percent of his opportunities.