March 3, 2012
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. – Senior attackman Sean Rogers tallied the game winner with 4:42 remaining as the No. 9 Notre Dame men’s lacrosse team topped No. 18 Drexel 6-5 on Saturday afternoon at Vidas Field. Rogers had a team-high two goals in the game.
After falling behind 2-0 eight minutes into the contest, the Notre Dame defense held Drexel scoreless for the next 33:27 as the Irish offense netted four unanswered goals to claim a 4-2 lead with just over five minutes left in the third quarter.
Notre Dame (2-1) began its surge on a goal from freshman attackman Conor Doyle with 12:23 left in the first half. That was Doyle’s first goal of the season. Drexel (1-3) led 2-1 at halftime.
Irish sophomore Jim Marlatt evened the contest (2-2) less than two minutes into the second half. Marlatt, a midfielder, has a team-high three goals this season. Rogers gave Notre Dame its first lead of the game (3-2) midway through the third quarter with a behind-the-back shot that found the back of the net. Doyle assisted on the score.
The Irish grabbed a two-goal lead (4-2) at the 5:09 mark of the third quarter on a score from sophomore attackman Westy Hopkins.
The Dragons snapped their drought with 3:33 remaining in the third quarter on a score from Aaron Prosser, who led the Dragons with two goals on the day. A tally from junior midfielder Tyler Kimball gave Notre Dame a 5-3 lead by the end of the third quarter.
Prosser got Drexel to within one (5-4) with 13:09 left in the final period and Robert Church knotted the game (5-5) with 6:18 showing on the clock.
The Fighting Irish killed a 30-second penalty that began with 1:12 left to play in the game. Drexel was 1-for-3 in man-up opportunities, while Notre Dame was 0-for-1.
“We had to make plays at both ends of the field today against a good Drexel team and I was pleased to see us do that,” said Notre Dame head coach Kevin Corrigan. “Sean (Rogers) really played well today. He got the edge on his guy on the final goal and made the play.”
Drexel opened the game’s scoring less than two minutes into the contest with a man-up tally from Ben McIntosh. Clifton Simeon gave the Dragons a 2-0 lead with seven minutes left in the first quarter.
Junior goalie John Kemp made nine saves in the win, while Drexel’s Mark Manos had five stops. The Dragons held a 30-25 edge in shots. Drexel also had a 9-6 advantage in faceoffs.
“Our defense has been pretty consistent all year long,” added Corrigan. “They have not given up a lot of chances and today they held a good team at bay.”
Notre Dame has only allowed 12 goals in its first three games of the season. That is the fewest amount of goals the Irish have ever surrendered through their first three games of a season. This is the first time Notre Dame has limited opponents to five goals or fewer in three consecutive games since the 2007 campaign.
The Fighting Irish return to action next Saturday at Hofstra. Face-off is slated for 3:00 p.m. (ET) in Hempstead, N.Y.
March 3, 2012
Vidas Field – Philadelphia, Pa.
#9 Notre Dame (2-1) 0 1 4 1 – 6
#18 Drexel (1-3) 2 0 1 2 – 5
Notre Dame Scoring (goals-assists):
Sean Rogers 2-0, Conor Doyle 1-1, Westy Hopkins 1-0, Jim Marlatt 1-0, Tyler Kimball 1-0; Goaltender: John Kemp (W, 60:00, 9 saves, 5 GA)
Drexel Scoring (goals-assists):
Aaron Prosser 2-0, Robert Church 1-0, Clifton Simeon 1-0, Ben McIntosh 1-0, Brendan Glynn 0-2, Kyle Bergman 0-1, Kevin Stockel 0-1, Ryan Belka 0-1; Goaltender: Mark Manos (L, 60:00, 5 saves, 6 GA)
— ND —