The Triangle

Issue date: 4/28/06 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Karl Kuchs

Drexel men's lacrosse struggled in nearly aspect of their game April 22, falling behind early and eventually losing to second-ranked Hofstra in a 12-4 rout. The Pride completed a 6-0 sweep in Colonial Athletic Association play, and the Dragons finished 2-4 against the difficult conference competition.

As heavy rain poured down on Vidas Field, Drexel's offense was drowned out early and was unable to pick itself up. The Dragons were only able to muster two shots in the first quarter, and scored only one goal going into halftime. Conversely, the Pride was able to take advantage of their offensive opportunities, outshooting Drexel 28-18 for the game and retaining possession for the majority of the game. Worst of all, the Dragons were only able to complete 15 out of 24 clears, whereas Hofstra succeeded in having a near-perfect 16 out of 18 clear ratio. These missed chances caused by sloppy play made it difficult to bring the ball downfield and handed Hofstra several fast break opportunities.

Defensively, the Dragons put up a solid effort early on, trailing just 3-1 late in the first half; however, Hofstra was able parlay two goals in the minutes before the break, and they capitalized on second-chance goal opportunities as they put up seven goals in the second half. Drexel had a difficult time as the game progressed containing the powerful Hofstra squad, which ranks among the nation's best in goals scored.

The Dragons had a few bright spots offensively, receiving scoring contributions from Matt Musci, Adam Dennis, Yoni Cohen and Ron Garling. Musci, who also had an assist, and Cohen were among the eight graduating Drexel seniors for whom this game was their final regular season conference game.

The Pride was led by Chris Unterstein and Athan Iannucci, who each scored three goals. With the win, Hofstra is poised to become one of the top seeds in the NCAA tournament and make a legitimate run at the national championship. A final-four lacrosse appearance would be a first for a CAA team, as the semi-final match-ups usually involve traditional powerhouses like Syracuse, Princeton and Maryland.

The loss gives the Dragons little hope of making the CAA playoffs. To force a tiebreaker that would grant the team entry, winless Robert Morris would have to pull off a huge upset at Delaware. If this happened, Drexel would get a chance to travel to New York and to play Hofstra again.

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