April 20, 2001

Complete Loyola Game Notes in PDF Format
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Villanova Wildcats
versus
#8 Loyola GreyHounds

Saturday * April 21, 2001

Curley Field * 1:00 p.m.

Scouting Loyola: Loyola enters today's game with a 7-2 overall record and number eight national ranking. The Greyhounds have already taken out nationally ranked # 16 Hofstra (17-12), #12 Duke (10-8), and #2 Syracuse (14-13, OT). Their only losses all season are to #9 Towson (10-8) and #5 Notre Dame (10-7). Loyola features a midfield trio which has accounted for 53 of their goals or 47.7 percent of the offense. All-America candidate Gavin Prout leads the way with 22 goals and 16 assists on the season, while Michael Sullivan (17 G, 13 A) and Bobby Horsey (14 G, 5A) are also explosive. Horsey was the star in the Greyhounds last game, a 12-3 pounding of Butler. Horsey tallied a career high six goals. In goal, Jason Born has been getting the nod. Born has recorded a 9.47 goals against average and .464 save percentage. In front of Born is another All-America candidate in David Metz. Metz currently has posted 16 groundballs on the season, while anchoring a defense that is allowing 9.30 goals per game. Loyola has played seven of their nine games to date at home in the comfort of Curley Field.

Making Their Marks: Villanova head men's lacrosse coach Randy Marks has been at the helm of the Wildcat's lacrosse program for 19 years. As the second longest tenured coach at Villanova, Marks has seen his three sons play for his program. His eldest son, David, played for two years in 1995 and 1996 before transferring to Johns Hopkins. David Marks returned after two years at John Hopkins to now serve as an assistant under his father. Currently, Randy Marks watches as his two sons, middle son Justin and youngest son Brian, anchor his first attack line. The two have prospered together tallying a combined 33 goals and 23 assists for 56 points. Those marks account for 35 percent of the Wildcat offense. Justin Marks is third on the team in goals with 14 and has also tallied an assist. Brian Marks currently leads the team in scoring with 41 points on 19 goals and 22 assists.

National Recognition: In the most recent statistical rankings released by the NCAA Villanova is again well represented. The Wildcats Brian Marks and Matt Wilk are still holding strong in their respective categories as are the Wildcats as a team. Brian Marks currently ranks 15th in the nation in scoring with 4.10 points per game. Marks has tallied 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points in 2001. Marks 22 assists also have him ranked nationally in that category. The sophomore currently stands tied for 9th in the country with a 2.20 assist per game average. Matt Wilk continues to perform well for Villanova and his efforts are reflected in his 8.17 goals against average that has him ranked 14th nationally. As a team Villanova's defense is turning heads. The `Cats are currently 14th in scoring defense with a mark of 8.20 goals against per game and 6th in man-down defense, stopping their opponents .809 percent of the time.

Second and Third: So far in 2001, Villanova has dominated the second and third quarter on the scoreboard. Villanova's best quarter has far and away been the second quarter. The `Cats have outscored their opponents 23 to 14 in the second. The third quarter has almost been as prosperous for the `Cats as they hold a 27-21 lead. Villanova also holds a slight advantage in the fourth, 27-24. The first quarter has been their worst, as they have been outscored 23-21.

Road Troubles: In Villanova's six road games this season they have departed from the field of play with five losses and one win. The lone win came at Air Force last Saturday. The Wildcats have been outscored on the road by the score of 62-50, including a 21-17 deficit in the fourth quarter. Things do not get any easier for Villanova as they head to Curley Field where Loyola is 6-1 on the season.

The Little Things: Villanova has been doing the little things well all season as evidenced by their ability to tally more shots, get more groundballs, score more extra man goals, and clear better then their opponents. The `Cats currently are outshooting their opponents by 7.5 shots per game and getting 5.2 more groundballs per game. Villanova also has done well of not committing many penalties and when they do their defense has prospered. The Wildcats have had only 50 penalties called on them, while their foes have had 65 called. The translation is a 12 goal difference. Villanova has outscored their opponents 21-9 on the extra man. The Wildcats have also done an excellent job of clearing and riding. The `Cats clear the ball 78 percent of the time compared to their opponents who clear only 72 percent of the time. Villanova has an advantage of 13 in successful rides, 77 to their opponents 64. The only thing Villanova is not doing as well as their opponents is connecting on their shots. Villanova has connected on 25.9 percent of their shots in 2001, while they opponents are connecting on 27.0 percent of their shots.

Always Tough: Villanova's schedule in 2001 has been as tough as it has in recent years with the Wildcats battling four teams ranked or also receiving votes. This season Villanova will play #6 Johns Hopkins, #8 Loyola, #19 Penn State, #19 Pennsylvania. The `Cats are 0-2 on the year with losses to Hopkins and Penn State by a margin of 5.5 goals per game.

Denver Game Rescheduled: After discussions all day April 11th and more discussions on April 12th, Villanova head coach Randy Marks and Denver head coach Jaime Munro, rescheduled the Villanova-Denver game to be played on May 4th at 7:30 p.m. Instead of the game taking place at Denver, the game has been moved to Villanova Stadium, since Denver will be in the area to play Fairfield on May 5th.